Omiai
by eriloca
Summary: Two strangers have 10 days to get to know each other and decide if they will get married or not. AU. Sasuhina yay!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Sadly I do not own Naruto or any of its characters but if my plot to take over the world succeeds maybe…mwhahaha

**Author's Note: **This fic of mine is AU so expect some OOC-ness. It was inspired by Miki Aihara's "10 Days" (you can find it at the end of _Hot Gimmick_ vol. 12). And for all of you who might not know an omiai is a meeting between two people that are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage. Well, I better shut up now. Enjoy!

* * *

**Omiai**

_**Prologue**_

The midday sun shined down on the pale skin of the 22-year-old student who was currently losing the battle to keep her pale lavender eyes open as she tried to take notes on whatever it was that the teacher was talking about. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and her head shot up as she heard a loud bang followed by her name.

"Yes professor?" squeaked the girl, her face red as a tomato.

The class smirked silently as they watched in amusement the professor inching closer to the girl's desk. "Miss Hyuga could you please do us the honor to answer the question I just asked you?"

"Um, c-could you p-please repeat the question, sir?" gulped Hinata nervously fidgeting with the pen she was holding on her right hand.

The professor took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was trying really hard not to scream his head off at the daughter of the school's biggest sponsor. "I asked, what federal constitutional claims may Mrs. Richards raise on appeal from the revocation of her license?"

Hinata's eyes were quickly scanning the pages of her notebook hoping that the right answer would miraculously jump out at her. But when it didn't she finally said in a defeated tone, "I don't know, sir."

"She can allude to the patient abuse statute as established in the _Cutter v. State case of 1998__," came the confident response from two rows down._

"Correct! Well done, miss Hyuga," said the professor beaming at Hanabi.

Hinata turned to look out the window to hide her burning face. Once more she had been humiliated in public by her younger sister. She could hear the giggles and the whispers from all her classmates. Well, she couldn't blame them for laughing at her. After all, she had to admit that to their eyes the situation must seem pretty funny.

Like it wasn't enough to be always compared to her younger sister at home, now she had to endure it at school too. Hinata did not hate her younger sister; she hated the fact that they shared the same classes in law school. She was sure her dad had personally arranged their schedules to make it easier for him to compare his two daughters' progress.

Hinata's nightmare had begun when Hanabi started speaking in full sentences when she was 6 months old. For goodness' sake Hinata hadn't done so until she was 18 months old! Yet, she was still her father's pride. She was at the top of her kindergarten class. The teacher would always send notes home congratulating Hinata for her excellent performance in school. After all, she was the only one in her class who could read, write, and count up to 1000. Then Hanabi taught herself to read and write by the time she was 16 months old. That was when Hinata fell off the pedestal her father had placed her upon. After that none of Hinata's efforts or accomplishments were ever acknowledged by her father. Hinata always fell short behind her younger sister.

Hinata came from a very old family that could trace its roots back to feudal lords and nobles. Thus her family was very strict and traditional. From times immemorial the eldest child of the family was expected to (or better said forced to) become a lawyer. And so Hinata tried her best not to disappoint her father and to uphold family tradition by studying to become a lawyer even if her true passion laid in writing. She figured she could still write under a pseudonym (to her family being a writer was a lowly occupation) while being the illustrious lawyer her family wanted her to be. Easier said than done. Hinata was a soft-spoken and shy person. Quite the opposite of what a good lawyer should be. And yet she kept on working hard under her sister's shadow.

Things had been bearable enough for the past 4 years that Hinata had been in college. She got top grades and still managed to get some writing done on the side. Her father had even congratulated her because she had been her class' valedictorian. Then it all fell apart when Hanabi's genius shined through once more and she was admitted into law school. It had taken Hinata 4 years of hard work in college to get accepted into one of the most prestigious law schools in the country while Hanabi had been accepted straight out of high school. And that is how the two sisters came to not only share the same school but the same classes.

The rustling of books being put away and people moving about awoke Hinata from her reveries. Class was finally over. She put her things away and with a sigh walked out the door. She was on her way out of school when she caught a glimpse of blond. Her heart skipped a beat. That was the other reason why Hinata's ordeal had been bearable for the past two years, Naruto Uzumaki. But even that was over now. He had broken up with her barely a month ago and he was already seeing someone else.

Hinata had just stepped out the door leaving behind the horror scene of a pink haired girl and her blonde ex sucking each other's faces off when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see her sister standing behind her.

"You do know they got engaged, right?" asked Hanabi.

At this Hinata's head snapped back to where Naruto was. Her eyes scanning his back where his girlfriend's hands currently rested. And then she saw it, the little diamond ring glittering merrily under the sunlight.

Hinata's expression told Hanabi that this was the first she had heard of it. "They got engaged over the weekend. Hinata, just get over him," pleaded Hanabi. She knew better than anyone how much Hinata had suffered after their breakup.

Hinata nodded weakly. "I have to go. See you later," she said forcing a smile as her eyes filled with tears.

'It's barely been two months and he's already engaged to someone else?' thought Hinata bitterly as tears ran down her pale cheeks. 'How did he get over me so fast?'

Despair, pain, and betrayal welled up in Hinata's chest as she made her way home with downcast eyes. Once there she fell face first on her bed and sobbed for another half an hour until her father came home and requested her presence in his office.

Hinata washed her face and combed her hair before going downstairs to meet her father. A disheveled appearance would have just added an extra 15 minutes to her father's usual lecture. She was now standing in front of his office. She sighed and then knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," came her father's voice from the other side of the door.

Hinata walked in and bowed. "You wanted to see me, father?"

"Sit down," he motioned at the chair opposite from his. "Hinata, I want you to consider what I am about to tell you before you make a decision."

'Oh, great. He's going to make me choose which far away country I want to live in so that I won't embarrass our family any more,' thought Hinata as she nodded risking a glance at her father's face. Odd, he didn't look mad. Perhaps he still hadn't received his daily report on her performance from one of the many spies he had at school.

"I have set up an omiai for you tomorrow," started her father in a calm tone. "I know you have refused to marry all of your previous suitors but this time I want you to think about it very carefully for the sake of the family."

"Don't worry, father. I will not refuse this time," said Hinata.

"O-kay." Hiashi was at a loss for words. 'Guess I won't need that speech I had prepared about how she has to be loyal and obedient to her family,' he thought to himself.

"Can I be excused? I need to do my homework."

"Be ready at 5:00 pm tomorrow. You may go now."

Hinata was already turning the doorknob when her father spoke again, "Aren't you even going to ask the name of the man you're going to see tomorrow?"

"Um, yes, please."

"His name is Sasuke Uchiha. He is the youngest son of Fugaku Uchiha, owner of Uchiha Enterprises. One of the biggest firms in the world," replied Hiashi putting special emphasis on the last phrase.

Hinata nodded and closed the door behind her leaving Hiashi alone in his office. Immediately he took out the picture of his departed wife that he kept inside his port-a-shrine from under his desk and knelt in front of it. "Oh thank you, thank you, honey. She said yes!"

Once in her room Hinata propped her head on her hands and smiled wistfully looking out the window. "Finally, freedom," she whispered as tears slid down her cheeks once more.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I know this was all about Hinata but we'll get to see Sasuke next chapter, so Sasuke fans don't despair lol! Thank you very much for reading my fic! Please drop a review. Till next time!


	2. Day Zero

Thank you so much for your reviews! You guys are awesome!! Well, here's the next chapter of the story. Enjoy!

Almost forgot! The disclaimer… if you think that I, in some shape or form own Naruto or any of its characters you need to get yourself to a doctor right away. Those could be signs of a serious condition.

* * *

**Day Zero: The Meeting**

"No," came the deadpan response from across the desk.

"And why not?" asked the Uchiha patriarch, his left eye twitching.

"I have things to do."

"I don't care if you have an appointment with the president," started Fugaku slowly, his voice dripping cold anger. "Sasuke Uchiha, you're going to that omiai. You're not going to make me look like a fool in front of the Hyugas! Especially not now that we are about to close a multimillion dollar deal with their company."

Sasuke had to do a double take. He could have sworn he saw dollar signs appear on his father's eyes as he spoke the last sentence. "I said I can't."

"You're 23 years old already! Itachi got married when he was 19…"

That's where Sasuke tuned out his father and took to staring blankly at the bookcase lining the wall opposite from him. He knew this speech by heart. He had been hearing it since he turned 18. His father would start off by telling Sasuke how important it was for him to get married and have children who would carry on the Uchiha name. He would then proceed to remind Sasuke that Itachi had gotten married when he was 19 and that now he had 3 children. Finally, he would scold Sasuke for not contributing any heirs to the Uchihas as of yet.

"Father, don't force him to go," said Itachi looking up from the reports he had been reading. Barely concealing a wicked grin which immediately turned into a look of mock concern he added, "he hasn't been quite himself since that time his fangirls stuffed him into that closet to play _5 minutes in heaven_. He was really traumatized by that experience."

Itachi knew his little brother better than anyone and as such he knew that the best way to manipulate Sasuke was through his pride. Itachi's lips curled into a smile at the sight of Sasuke's usual scowl deepening and his fists clenching at his sides. His taunt was working most wonderfully. Oh, how he loved to tease little Sasuke. He gave his father a wait-and-see look before adding the final touch, "father, please be understanding. Do not worry, I will work harder and have more children to compensate for Sasuke's lack of heirs."

Although Sasuke's face remained as impassive as ever inside of him burned a raging desire to strangle his dear brother. "What time?" he finally said through gritted teeth.

Fugaku's face lightened up and his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "At 5:00 pm, don't be late, my son."

Sasuke was on his way out the door when he heard Itachi call after him, "Don't worry, she's pretty and she isn't in any of your fan clubs."

"Go to hell," replied Sasuke as he walked back to his own office.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Hinata was staring incredulously at the paper sitting on top of her desk. A bright-red C+ stared back at her from the cover page of her report. She could not believe that she could have gotten such a low grade. She had to reread the name printed on the cover page and the top right corner of all the other pages twice to finally believe that it was indeed her report. Really, she shouldn't have been that shocked. Hinata had written that report only a couple of days after her breakup with Naruto. It was rather astounding that she had been able to finish the assignment at all when the poor girl could barely see the computer screen through her tears.

Once the fact that this would be the first C she had ever gotten in her life sunk in, the surprise was replaced by apprehension. Hinata could already see the expression of utter shock and pain on her father's face. She could almost hear the sound of his heart breaking. With a shudder Hinata remembered the time that she had gotten a B+ because she hadn't seen the 2 questions on the back of the test. That night her father had cried himself to sleep, asking the portrait of his deceased wife where he had gone wrong with Hinata.

As she bit her lower lip trying to stop herself from crying in front of all her classmates a thought dawned on her. If she married the man her father wanted her to meet later that afternoon he would probably be too excited to care about her grades anymore. She sighed and shook her head. The tiny spark of hope in her heart extinguished just as quickly as it had appeared. The idea of marrying a man she didn't know was even scarier than living up to her family's expectations. It all had seemed so easy last night…getting married and be free of that cursed school, but more importantly to be free of the burden of being the perfect heiress that everyone wanted her to be. Now that Hinata had had time to think it over she wasn't sure marriage was such a good idea.

She sighed once more as she turned to look out the window. She really didn't want to see the smirks on her classmates' faces. The teacher had thought it would be a great idea to read out loud everyone's grade. Even if Hinata's grade was far better than that of many of the people who were making fun of her they still found it highly amusing that her younger sister had gotten an A+.

The older Hyuga sister was absently looking at the ivy covered walls that flanked the school's courtyard. Had she not been so worried and depressed she would have probably appreciated the beauty of the landscape in front of her. Autumn was nearing its end and with it the leaves on the trees had been painted all different shades of red and gold. A few fluffy clouds dotted the otherwise clear sky and a magnificent sun shone down on the many students who strolled down the sloping path between the school's two main buildings.

Hinata was about to turn her attention back to the teacher and his lecture when she caught sight of a blonde grinning and waving in her direction. Her heart gave a jolt. She lifted her hand to wave back but stopped in mid-action when she saw a pinkhead running straight into Naruto's arms. That is when Hinata remembered that she was on the third floor of the building. There was no way that Naruto had seen her and even if he could have, why would he be waving at her? There was nothing left between them. Well, at least not in Naruto's part. As for her, she still couldn't get him out of her head.

She balled her hand into a fist and gritted her teeth. "No more," she whispered choking back a sob. "We'll see what you think when you see _me_ prancing around with my fiancé, dear Naruto."

Hinata had so many things going on in her head that the rest of the school day went by in a haze. It didn't register in her mind that she was home until she tripped over the coffee table in the living room of the Hyuga mansion. As she let her eyes wander over the cream colored walls, the leather couches, the pictures of her family, and the expensive paintings hanging on the walls, she felt warm and protected. Everything was so familiar and welcoming.

The young heiress had spent her entire life in this house. It was true that she had many painful memories of her life here but it was also the place where she had spent her happiest moments. She started shaking at the thought of having to leave this place, her home, to go live with a complete stranger. Hinata was getting cold feet again. Marrying someone just to make Naruto jealous or escape her family's expectations didn't seem like a very good idea anymore.

"I'll work harder," she whispered desperately to herself as her eyes welled up with unshed tears. "I'll become what they want me to be. I don't have to leave. I don't have to go."

Oh how wonderful would that be, but it was impossible. Hinata had been trying her best all these years and had gotten nowhere. The Hyugas still saw her as a failure. Why would it be any different now?

Hinata stiffened at the sound of voices filtering through the open windows. How could she have forgotten that today was the family council meeting? She did not feel like dealing with her family right now. She was about to make a run for her room when the stern figure of an older woman made her stop dead on her tracks.

"Come greet the guests."

"Y-yes, grandmother," Hinata said with a bow that went completely unnoticed as the woman was already on her way to the hall where the Hyugas held their family meetings.

Over a dozen pairs of pale eyes gazed briefly at Hinata once she set foot in the hall. She bowed deeply and stuttered a "good afternoon" that was barely audible over the murmur of hushed conversations going on around the room. A few of the proud Hyugas nodded in acknowledgement while the rest merely ignored her. Hinata stood wringing her hands nervously near the door not daring to speak to anyone in the room when she spotted her cousin Neji. He was standing a few steps away from her, listening without any trace of interest to the praises for his latest accomplishments as a world-renowned architect.

Neji excused himself from his two older aunts and made a beeline straight for Hinata, whose eyes brightened at the sight of a kind face among the sea of scowls and indifference in front of her.

"Congratulations, I read that article they wrote about you."

"Not you too," said Neji in annoyance. "I'm tired of hearing about that article from everyone in this place."

"You are supposed to say thanks, Mr. Architect of the Year and most talented youth in the field," quoted Hinata playfully from the article Neji was so sick of hearing about.

Hinata was one of the very few people who could tease Neji and live. He was not only famous for his genius but also for his bad temper. Having grown up together the two shared a very strong relationship. Neji had practically become Hinata's older brother.

Neji rolled his eyes and gave her a small smile in return. "You should go. The meeting is about to start."

"I can't. Grandmother told me to come," replied Hinata with a frown, all traces of her warm smile gone.

Neji grimaced. "Whatever she says, don't listen to her."

Hinata nodded weakly. She saw her grandmother walking towards them and her knees started shaking. Hinata was terrified of her. All the woman ever did was humiliate and insult her.

"I heard that the commoner got engaged."

The cold words hit Hinata like a brick on the face as a couple of tears tugged at the corners of her eyes.

"Was it worth it, Hinata?" asked the Hyuga matron nonchalantly. The Cheshire cat smile pulling at her lips was the only thing that betrayed her otherwise perfectly composed expression making it obvious that she was enjoying the sorrow reflected on Hinata's face.

Even if her grandmother hadn't spelled it out, Hinata knew perfectly well what she meant. Hinata had defied her grandmother to defend her relationship with Naruto. Since Naruto was an orphan who had gotten into law school thanks to a scholarship, he was absolutely worthless by her grandmother's standards. Hinata always took her grandmother's verbal abuse silently but during that family dinner when she started insulting Naruto, Hinata had snapped and told her to shut up. That had earned Hinata a slap in front of the entire family plus the grounding of her life. Back then just seeing Naruto's smiling face and being in his arms had made her punishment seem like nothing. If her grandmother had asked her the same thing back then, Hinata would have answered yes without hesitation, but now, after all the pain she had been through she wasn't sure of what to answer.

"What are you still doing here, Hinata? You have to get ready for your omiai or you'll be late," said Hiashi, who had just drifted over to Hinata's side.

The moment the word "omiai" left Hiashi's lips all heads turned and all eyes fixed on Hinata. "Yes, she is meeting Sasuke Uchiha," Hiashi added to answer the unspoken question that was evident on everyone's faces.

Hinata was staring open-mouthed at the strange scene in front of her. It was a scene so rare that it bordered on the eerie. The Hyuga elders were all smiling approvingly at her and her father was beaming with pride with an arm firmly wrapped around her shoulders. Her grandmother for once had been left speechless. That was it. That was the last push Hinata needed to finally make up her mind and go through with this omiai. She knew that she would be getting married (if everything went well with the omiai of course) for all the wrong reasons, but she didn't care anymore. She was just too tired of fighting and she was finally getting the one thing that she had been struggling for all of her life, her family's approval. Feeding Naruto some of his own medicine would be an added bonus.

The Hyuga heiress excused herself and went to her room to get ready. She put on a pale blue kimono made of the finest silk and embroidered with silver flowers. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun leaving loose a few curled strands to frame her face. Hinata decided to limit her makeup to smoky eyeliner, light blue eye shadow and a sheer pink lip gloss. She took a last look in the mirror before leaving the house. She had to admit that she didn't look that bad but she was sure that if her best friend Ino had been here she would have known exactly how to make Hinata look less plain. Although, when it came to omiais often your last name was more important than your physical appearance, reasoned Hinata to try to calm down her anxiety a bit. Hinata really wanted to impress this Sasuke person so that he would marry her. She did not want to disappoint her father anymore.

When Hinata walked out of the house she was so wrapped up rehearsing in her head what she had to do once she got to the omiai that she didn't see her father peeping at her from the window of his study.

"Oh please, darling, give our Hinata some of your charm and help her bag that rich husband," pleaded Hiashi kneeling in front of his late wife's picture. "Just imagine our daughter married to an Uchiha! Oh please, darling, don't let her mess up."

OoOoOoOoOo

"Right this way, Ms. Hyuga," said the waiter politely as he guided Hinata towards the back of the restaurant.

The waiter stopped before the threshold of an alcove that overlooked the restaurant's lavish gardens. Normally lilies, roses, and tulips would adorn the gardens but with the holidays drawing near, red and white poinsettias stood proudly in their place. Hinata tore her gaze from the bay window and took a look around the alcove. An exquisite china set sat on the round table atop a white tablecloth trimmed in gold while the polished silverware reflected the light of the chandelier overhead.

Then Hinata's gaze froze on the man sitting at the table. He had silver hair and was wearing a dark gray turtleneck underneath a black business suit. The turtleneck sweater hid part of his features but he seemed to be in his mid-thirties. Hinata was a little surprised. She had figured that Sasuke would be younger but he seemed like a nice person and he was rather handsome.

Hinata took a deep breath before stepping into the alcove and with a newfound confidence inspired by the warmth reflected in the man's eyes bowed and introduced herself.

"Hinata Hyuga. It is a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha-sama," said Hinata flashing the man in front of her one of her most charming smiles.

The man in question stood up and returned the bow. "The pleasure is all mine, Hinata-chan, but it seems that there is a bit of a misunderstanding. My name is Hatake Kakashi."

"Huh?" Hinata's eyes widened in dismay. She was mortified thinking that the waiter had guided her to the wrong table and that she had just bothered this gentleman. However, the man didn't seem annoyed at all.

"Sasuke is standing right behind you," he said with a big smile.

Hinata turned to see a black-haired man standing a couple feet away from her. Dark eyes stared impassively at her. She was so startled by this man's presence that she forgot her own name for a split second.

"Um… H-Hinata Hyuga, n-nice to meet you," she stammered and bowed clumsily, her cheeks burning. She scolded herself mentally for making such a great first impression on her prospective husband.

After they sat down and the waiter took their orders an awkward silence befell the trio. Sasuke was staring off into space completely ignoring the girl he was supposed to be getting to know better. Hinata was busy biting her lower lip and staring at her hands resting on her lap. Kakashi sighed inwardly. He sure had his "job" cut out for him. Fugaku Uchiha had given him the all-important task of making sure that Sasuke came back from the omiai engaged to the Hyuga heiress.

Kakashi decided that it was time to break the ice if he was to even come close to accomplishing his appointed task. "So, Hinata-chan, you go to law school, correct?"

Hinata looked up to see Kakashi's kind expression and some of her anxiety ebbed away. "Y-yes, I am studying business law."

After several attempts of subtly trying to include Sasuke in the conversation he had going with Hinata, Kakashi finally gave up and decided to take the direct approach.

"Would you like to tell us something about yourself, Sasuke?" asked Kakashi in a playful tone, which earned him one of Sasuke's death glares.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm 23 years old," started Sasuke evenly as if he was reading off a rather boring speech. "I have an MBA in finance, accounting, and economics. I work as the chief financial officer of Uchiha Enterprises."

Hinata was surprised at this bit of information. Sasuke was barely a year older than her and he already had a master's degree in business with three different specializations, while she was still struggling with her first year of law school. Not only that but he was already working as an executive officer in a multinational corporation. She couldn't help but to compare him to Hanabi and think how, just like in everything else, her younger sister would be a better match for Sasuke seeing how she was a genius just like him.

The meal was almost over when Sasuke spoke in more than monosyllables for the second time that evening. "I don't think that marriage would be a good idea..."

"Because you two don't know each other that well yet," interjected Kakashi in a panicky tone.

A mental image of his limited edition, gold embossed, and autographed copy of Icha Icha Paradise volume 1 crackling in the fireplace in Fugaku's office made Kakashi shudder. He had to complete his mission or he would never again see his precious books that were being held hostage by Fugaku.

"Sasuke thinks that it would be best if you two took a little time to know each other better before making a decision," continued Kakashi smoothly as if this had been the plan all along. "Do 10 days sound like a reasonable time?"

Hinata nodded slowly and Kakashi then turned with a pleading expression to Sasuke. Kakashi could see the wheels turning inside the young Uchiha's head. Sasuke was analyzing the situation. If he said yes that would get his father off his back and shut Itachi up for 10 days. That was a plus, but the only reason why he was even considering dating this girl was well, the girl herself. Sasuke was rather intrigued by her. It was obvious that she wasn't head over heels for him and yet when he had said that he wouldn't marry her, the sadness on her face was evident; even if she hadn't seemed surprised at all with his rejection. He figured that it could be an amusing experience and if he got bored or annoyed by the girl he could always dump her before the 10 days were over.

"Fine," replied Sasuke and Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully this would help him recover his beloved Icha Icha Paradise books.

And so the omiai concluded. They agreed that Sasuke would pick Hinata up from school after classes the next day and then they would go somewhere. Hinata groaned and sank herself further into the back seat of the car. How was she supposed to make that block of ice want to marry her? She was extremely shy, insecure, and she wasn't sure her brain would be able to keep up with his. After all, he was a genius like Hanabi. If she had a nicer body maybe that would at least keep him interested. She sighed. She should have listened to Ino and asked for a boob job for her eighteenth birthday.

Hinata was shaken from her thoughts by the driver opening the door for her and helping her out of the car. She thanked him with a smile and then looked up at her house. She saw her father looking expectantly at her from the foyer's window. He looked like a little kid about to open his presents on Christmas morning. Hinata didn't want to disappoint him yet again. Her mind was made up. She didn't know how but she was going to become Sasuke Uchiha's wife.

* * *

Author's Note: I wonder how Sasuke and Hinata's first date will go mwhahahaha! Thanks for reading and don't forget to drop off a lil review on your way out!


	3. Day One

**Author's note: **finally here's the next chapter of this fic of mine. About time, I know! I am so, so very sorry that it has taken me this long to update (drops to her knees begging for forgiveness).

I want to thank you for your wonderful reviews. I luv y'all!! Well, I'll shut up now. Please enjoy the chappie!

**Disclaimer: **nope, still don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

**Day One: Don't Cry Over Spilled… Coffee?**

Pale lavender orbs blinked rapidly trying to adjust to the dimly lit restaurant from the dazzling afternoon sun outside. Small square tables adorned with bouquets of flowers and silver candles arranged in neat rows filled the room. The classical music playing in the background was numbing her senses and the faint smoke of all the candles was making her dizzy to the point that she had to focus all her attention on just walking straight. She was trying her best to make a good impression on her prospective husband, whose somber expression was only making her more nervous.

A smile of relief appeared on her face when she saw the waiter finally stop in front of one of the tables and pull a chair for her. _Yes, only a few more steps! One, two… _she counted in her head. Her hand could almost touch the back of the chair when one of her heels broke and sent her flying face down on the floor, a shower of china and cutlery following soon after when she pulled the tablecloth trying to break her fall. The gasps from the onlookers were soon replaced by roaring laughter.

"There are bunnies on your underwear," came the monotonous voice of a pokerfaced Sasuke from behind her.

Slowly Hinata raised her head from the floor and her eyes widened in horror. Her skirt had ridden up to her waist when she fell and now Sasuke had a panoramic view of her behind. She could feel the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes and her face burning. She closed her eyes shut and wished for the earth to open up and swallow her. And swallow her it did. She was plunged into darkness before her eyes flew open and she sat up on her bed breathing hastily.

"It was just a dream," she breathed after taking a good look around and making sure that she had not left her room since she had come back from her omiai the previous night.

Still shaken up she got up from her bed and went about her morning routine. When it came time to get dressed her eyes landed on the outfit she had selected the previous night. A pink skirt trimmed with lace, a sleeveless top and a jacket were laid across the stool in front of her vanity. She eyed the skirt suspiciously and stuffed it back in her closet pulling out a pair of dark jeans instead.

OoOoOoOoOo

Numbers quickly filled the grids as nimble fingers tapped on the keyboard, the mind often beating the computer in calculating profit margins. Eyes the color of obsidian glided through the rows and rows of numbers and percentages with the intensity of a hawk zoning in on its prey. He was so immersed in his work that it took him a second to register the tickling breath on the side of his neck. Slowly he turned to his right to almost bump noses with the source of the tickling.

"No new cologne?"

Sasuke turned his gaze back to the computer screen pointedly ignoring the fact that his older brother had just been sniffing his neck. The wicked smile he caught on Itachi's face didn't bode well.

"And this suit," Itachi said mournfully, resting his forehead on his hand. "Could you have possibly chosen a more boring outfit for your hot date?"

The younger Uchiha kept his eyes on the screen and hands on the keyboard attempting to continue his work. Maybe if he ignored his brother he would just go away. Wishful thinking. Somehow Sasuke's foolproof strategy to get rid of those he considered a nuisance never seemed to work on Itachi; it only seemed to encourage him.

"So where are you taking her?" asked Itachi poking his head in between Sasuke and the computer.

"Don't know. Don't care."

Itachi's face contorted in mock agony in perfect imitation of _The Scream_. "You don't even know where you're taking her? Could it truly be that my little brother is not interested in women? Please, Kakashi, say it isn't so."

"Just because I don't chase after anything with breasts that moves…" said Sasuke throwing a glance in Kakashi's direction.

Kakashi lifted his gaze from the book in his hands just long enough to send an amused look at the two brothers. No one's but Itachi's taunts ever elicited a response from Sasuke. The silver haired man then went back to his reading. He had recovered one of his Icha Icha Paradise books as payment for the previous night's "mission." He would get one book per day for each of the ten days that Sasuke and Hinata went out. The special autographed editions he wouldn't get until the day of the wedding… _if it ever comes_, he thought with a sigh. Judging by how interested Sasuke looked, Kakashi wondered if he would ever get to hold his precious books in his hands.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hinata's eyes kept darting between the pen that she was twiddling in her hands and the clock above the blackboard. Class would be over any second now. Although that was always a relief to her, today she had wished that class would have gone on forever. Her first date with Sasuke was right after this class. She still had the previous night's resolve to become the Uchiha's wife but she still had no idea as to how she was going to accomplish such a task. The mere thought of being alone with him frightened her, let alone having to talk to him.

"Don't forget your projects are due next week," came the teacher's final reminder before he left the classroom signaling the end of the lecture.

She caught her sister's eyes for a brief moment hoping that Hanabi would stop her and tell her that she didn't have to go through with this. That their family would accept her even if she didn't become Sasuke's wife. Hinata felt stupid for seeking comfort and empty promises from her younger sister when all social conventions said that it should be the other way around. Besides, Hanabi had already voiced her opinion on the matter. Marriage was the best and most honorable way for Hinata to escape the miserable life she led under the cumbersome weight of her family's expectations and demands. Hinata knew that her sister loved and cared for her but Hanabi was practical and never one to sugarcoat anything.

With a wistful smile that was returned by an equally sad one and a small wave Hinata left to meet with her prospective husband. She walked down the halls nervously mumbling the various topics of conversation and tips she had gotten from dating websites that she had been trying to memorize since that morning.

The always loud entrance to the building seemed somehow more animated today. Hinata reached the school's threshold to see several people, mainly females, gaping at something. She followed the women's gazes outside of the ornate doors to the source of the commotion and she paled. Sasuke, face utterly expressionless and apparently oblivious of the commotion he was causing, was leaning against the side of a black BMW with his arms crossed waiting for her.

Hinata instantaneously regretted her brilliant idea of having Sasuke pick her up at the school's entrance. She had suggested so in hopes that Naruto would see her with Sasuke but she had never stopped to think just how much attention Sasuke was bound to attract from the school's female population.

"Too late for regrets now," she whimpered to herself resisting the urge to run away. Taking a deep breath she stepped outside and made her way towards Sasuke.

"H-hello, Sasuke-san," she greeted, feeling the many glares and surprised stares from the women that had been ogling Sasuke seconds ago burning a hole on the back of her head.

A nod was the only reply she received before Sasuke disappeared inside the car. Hinata stood baffled for a second before the annoyed glance she received through the windshield told her that she was supposed to get in the car. She was sure she had read somewhere that men were supposed to open car doors for women, especially on a first date. Then again her only boyfriend had been Naruto, whose only vehicle was a bike, so maybe she was wrong…

"Where are we going?"

Hinata stared at Sasuke dumbly and blinked. How was she supposed to know? She had been counting on him selecting the place. Sasuke, with his hands on the steering wheel staring at her awaiting her reply, sent her already panicked mind into overdrive. His face was blank as usual so guessing what he was thinking was impossible, leaving Hinata to imagine the worst. What if she didn't reply soon and he lost his patience, which she figured was probably running thin, and he threw her out of the car and drove away? She wouldn't put it past him, so she spluttered the first thing that came to her mind, "t-there's a Starbucks n-nearby."

A raised eyebrow was the only change that came to Sasuke's face before he turned his attention to the road and the car started moving. The short ride was uncomfortably silent. Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the road ahead of him while Hinata fought the urge to bang her head repeatedly on the dashboard. Why in the world had she suggested a place where people went to drink coffee and _talk_? Why hadn't she proposed a movie or a play? People weren't expected to carry on conversations in such places.

Eyeing the place with dread Hinata got off the car and walked towards the café's revolving doors. She was so nervous that she almost succeeded in talking herself into believing that she had fallen asleep in class and this was just a nightmare. Unfortunately the foot underneath hers and the exasperated sigh coming from somewhere close to her temple were too real.

"I-I am s-so sorry!" she squeaked, her face tinting cherry.

It seemed that while Sasuke didn't open car doors for women he did follow the "women first" rule. Hinata had been too busy panicking that she hadn't noticed him stopping in front of the door to wait for her to go in first and she had graciously stepped on his foot. Sasuke dismissed Hinata's string of apologies with an "hn" and a tilt of his head towards the line of customers forming behind them.

Finally inside, they ordered their drinks and sat down at one of the corner tables overlooking the city streets that were starting to fill with the buzz of rush hour traffic. An awkward silence settled between the couple, a stark contrast with the lively atmosphere around them. Hinata was raking her brain for all the conversation topics and icebreakers that she had found online but they had all flown her mind the moment she had been left alone with Sasuke. During their omiai Kakashi-san had been there to keep the conversation going (mainly between him and Hinata but at least someone was talking), but now she had no idea what to talk about and the Uchiha didn't seem to be in any hurry to start a conversation.

When she was about to comment about the weather for lack of a better topic or a topic at all for that matter, heavenly music reached her ears, "espresso and a chai tea latte."

"That's us. I'll get them," she said relieved to be able to get away, even if only for a moment, from the thick blanket of silence enveloping them.

She walked up to the counter and almost banged her head on said counter when she realized that she was still carrying her notebook and her _Basic Law Terms _book. She had forgotten to leave them in the car and had been holding on to them for dear life like a child would their teddy bear when afraid of the monster in the closet. Tucking the book and notebook under her left arm she somehow managed to juggle the two cups and her purse and walk back to their table. She had done a marvelous job so far until her hand slipped off the jacket on Sasuke's espresso cup and her fingers came in contact with the very hot paper cup. Out of reflex she let go of the cup, which bounced once on the table before tumbling over and spilling onto Sasuke's lap.

"I am so, so sorry… I-I," Hinata stammered, helplessly trying to wipe the coffee with the couple of napkins she had grabbed from the counter until one of the baristas came to the rescue with a roll of paper towels and a rag and cleaned up the mess on the table and almost on Sasuke's pants as well if he hadn't taken the rag off her hands and done it himself. She was too happy to go get a refill for him.

Sasuke sat back down while Hinata, looking like a tomato, was biting her nails, an apology or two still escaping her trembling lips once in a while. It took a great deal of self control for her not to run out of the café screaming. She was seriously considering the possibility that her dream had in fact been a premonition of just how well her first date was going to go.

Deciding to ignore the trembling wreck in front of him, Sasuke turned his gaze to the windows. The sun was setting and the city was slowly being drowned in twilight. With the growing darkness outside the windows became mirrors reflecting a dull image of the café's interior. The reflection of Hinata's books resting on the now clean table caught Sasuke's attention. There was a piece of paper sticking out of one of them and for lack of something better to do he pulled it out to examine it.

_Since I was a child they steered my dreams  
__Everything was imposed on me  
__Since I was a kid they controlled my thoughts  
__They killed all illusions  
__What didn't kill me then  
__Today makes me stronger  
__Being a fighter  
__Makes me stronger now_

_And I never wanted to be the same  
__As everyone else  
__Never felt like fitting in with the crowd  
__To think so differently  
__Today keeps me alive and a fighter  
_

_I'm a fighter  
__No one will stop me  
__I am a fighter  
__Nothing will stop me  
__I am a fighter  
__A survivor  
__What didn't kill me  
__Made me stronger_

_We are manufactured in sequence  
__Like programmed clones  
__Always being imposed  
__What to think  
__What to hate,  
__What to love,  
__What to pray for,  
__What to trample over_

_I am a fighter  
__No one will stop me  
__I am a fighter  
__Nothing will stop me  
__I am a fighter  
__A survivor  
__What didn't kill me  
__Made me stronger_

"You wrote this?"

Hinata was pulled out of her mental breakdown with a start by Sasuke's voice. She lifted her head to look at Sasuke and her eyes landed on the piece of paper he was holding. She recognized it as the poem she had scribbled earlier that day during one of her classes while daydreaming about Naruto.

"I-it's just a silly thing I wrote," she replied, averting her gaze in embarrassment.

Sasuke looked over the poem for a few seconds more before saying in his usual monotone, "it's not bad."

The blush that was finally leaving Hinata's face came back full force at Sasuke's comment or did she dare call it… a compliment?

"I-I like t-to write on my spare time," she stuttered not wanting to let the chance to finally start a conversation with Sasuke slip through her fingers.

"Hn."

She was about to ask him what kinds of books he liked when the scantily dressed and overly enthusiastic barista came back with Sasuke's coffee and the little bit of courage Hinata had gathered vanished into thin air. With her gaze fixed on the poem she whispered, "I wish I could truly be like that…"

The rest of their date and the ride home transuded in silence only broken by Hinata giving Sasuke directions to her house and deciding the time of their date for the following day. Once home, Hinata was immensely grateful that she had been able to slip to her room without having to answer any questions as to how her date had gone and whether she was engaged yet.

She flopped down on her bed and sighed. The rather eventful afternoon had worn her out. "I guess it could've been worse," she told herself before adding with a snort, "yeah right."

She hadn't had great expectations for her date to begin with but she hadn't imagined that absolutely everything would go wrong. Although she had to admit that not all had been a complete disaster. At least she had found out that Sasuke wasn't that bad of a person. He had not screamed at her when she stepped on his foot or when she spilled hot coffee all over him and he had even seemed to appreciate her writing. Most importantly, he hadn't cancelled their next date like she had been sure he would after all that had happened.

"I still have a chance. I will do my very best tomorrow," she told her reflection on the mirror while brushing her teeth.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke closed his laptop and began to undress for bed when a crumpled piece of paper fell out of his jacket's pocket. He knew what it was without unfolding it although how it had made it into his pocket he wasn't sure. He figured it had been some time between him reading it and him crumpling it in his hand when he had wanted to strangle the annoying barista who wouldn't leave him alone.

He eyed the coffee stain on his shirt and a smirk grazed his lips. He had found Hinata's clumsiness rather amusing and for once he hadn't had to swat away groping hands, well at least not from his date. He then picked up the crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out, Hinata's words soon coming to mind. She had breathed out the words and had it not been for Sasuke's exceptional hearing they would've gotten lost in the murmur of the many conversations around them... _I wish I could truly be like that_.

"Me too..." he muttered absently, sending the piece of paper, now tucked inside one of the books on his desk, a contemplative glance.

* * *

**Author's note: **the "poem" in this chapter is actually a translation of the song "Combatiente" by Mexican rock band Mana.

Thanks for reading! I promise updates will be speedier from now on! If you can find it in you heart to leave me a review I will be very happy :)


	4. Day Two

**Author's Note: **hey there! It's been a while... sorry about the wait!! Finally here's the next installment of **Omiai**! Please enjoy and thank you very much for all your reviews. I love y'all muahh!!

**Disclaimer: **must I be forced to admit it time and time again? I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (sniff, sniff)

* * *

**Day Two: The Painted Piggy**

Hinata didn't need the maid knocking on her door to know breakfast was ready. The smell of cinnamon buns and hot out of the oven bread had weaved its way through the house all the way to her bedroom. The smell of freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh fruit joined the tantalizing aromas as she went down the stairs. Once she set foot on the dining room her stomach gave an involuntary growl. Who wouldn't get an appetite from the wonderful sight of the breakfast table brimming with delicious food?

The young heiress greeted her father and sister before sitting at the table. She was reaching for a bun when her father cleared his throat, "we are waiting for a guest."

That was when Hinata noticed that a fourth place had been set at the table. The gravity in Hiashi's voice and demeanor meant that the guest was either one of the Hyuga elders or, she gulped, grandmother. Her appetite flew out the window when her worst fears came true and her grandmother's haughty form appeared on the threshold of the dining room. She took her seat to Hiashi's right and let her gaze sweep the dining room, pausing briefly on each of its occupants as a form of greeting, before settling on the fruit salad that one of the maids had just placed in front of her.

On the surface they seemed like a normal family having breakfast, but if you looked close enough you could see the tension hanging in the air. Hinata knew that her grandmother's rather affable disposition was just the calm before the storm. She was sure grandma had plenty of questions for her regarding Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata knew she was not going to like the answers. The only reason why she had not visited the day before to inquire about the omiai was because she had been out of town.

Breakfast was almost over. Hinata had about half a glass of orange juice left and the faintest hope that maybe if she hurried and bolted out of the dining room she could avoid the interrogatory. She drank what was left of her juice in one gulp and almost choked when she saw her grandma put down her cup of tea and rest her chin on her laced hands, focusing all her attention on her. It was time.

"Well, when is the wedding?"

"W-we're not engaged," squeaked the young heiress in reply.

"What was that? I have told you not to mumble. Speak clearly, child!"

Hinata took a deep breath to steady her voice and tried again, louder, bracing herself for what she knew was coming, "U-Uchiha-san and I are not engaged… yet." A raised eyebrow and a stony expression indicated that she should continue. "W-we decided that we want to get to know each other better b-before we get married."

Grandmother's upper lip was trembling. That was never a good sign. "And just for how long do you need to get to know each other?" she asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"Ten days."

"Ten days," echoed the Hyuga matriarch before leaning over the table closer to Hinata. "Unbelievable. You cannot even get a man to marry you. The Hyuga name alone would've sufficed and yet you could not accomplish such a simple task. Any true Hyuga would already be engaged to the Uchiha!"

Hinata was clenching the tablecloth in her hands, biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying or launching herself at her grandmother, she wasn't sure which. The woman obviously didn't know Sasuke Uchiha. If she did, she would know that it was no easy feat to make that block of ice talk, much less propose.

Grandmother continued with her tirade, her voice getting lower, a sign of how angry she was. "I thought that maybe you would at least be successful in being a woman but it seems that I was mistaken. If he didn't want to marry you yesterday, what makes you think he'll want to marry you in ten days, if he even suffers you that long?"

That was the drop that spilled the cup. Indignation welled in Hinata's chest. God knew she had been trying her best to get engaged to the Uchiha but just like all of her other efforts this one was completely ignored and stepped on. She was just so tired of all the undeserved insults, of the injustice. Before her mind had time to process the thought her body moved of her own accord and she stood up slamming her hands on the table.

"Do not worry. I assure you. I _will _become Sasuke Uchiha's wife!"

There was such determination in Hinata's eyes that for a split second everyone in the room, even Hinata, had no doubt that she would indeed become an Uchiha. Grandmother leveled her with a challenging glare and a prove-me-wrong sneer before taking her leave.

As soon as grandma left, Hinata collapsed onto her chair trembling. By normal standards her outburst had been nothing much. She had barely raised her voice a decibel or two higher than normal. But for Hinata, who was shy and quiet by nature and terrified of her grandmother, it had taken a lot out of her. Although she had to admit her chest did feel a little lighter.

From the corner of her eye she caught Hanabi smiling and giving her the thumbs up under the table, surprise still evident on her features. That was when the seriousness of what she had just done fully dawned on her. With her heart beating fast against her ribcage she fearfully turned to her father, ready to apologize, and was left with her mouth hanging open. His smile was bigger than Hanabi's.

"I've never doubted you'll become young Sasuke's wife," he said squeezing her shoulder like he did when she was little and came home with perfect marks. He then cleared his throat and his face took its usual sober expression. "You still have to apologize to your grandmother."

Hinata nodded brightly and excused herself from the table to gather her things for school. She felt so happy that she almost skipped all the way up to her room. Her happiness, however, was short lived. Her stomach dropped a notch and her smile fell from her face at the sight of her planner. A hand-drawn flower surrounded by hearts and stars was winking at her from its spot at the top of today's date, smugly smiling at the fact that what it represented took priority over whatever was planned for the rest of Hinata's day.

"Oh no. How could I have forgotten?" she moaned holding her head in her hands in frustration. She really didn't want to cancel her date with Sasuke but friendship came first. To think she had actually prepared for their second date. This time she had saved the information on places to go on dates and conversation topics in her PDA. Not to mention that the leftovers of adrenaline and boldness from grandma's visit would have been rather helpful. Pity.

OoOoOoOoOo

"Will that complete the adjustments to our investment portfolio for the next two quarters then?" asked the Uchiha patriarch from his place at the head of the meeting table.

"I would like to suggest another prospect," intervened the younger Uchiha brother handing a thin blue binder to his father and CEO of the company.

Fugaku opened the binder and flipped through its contents, scanning with interest the figures and graphs that adorned its pages. "This company has only been around for a little over two years. You know one of the guidelines is that the company must have been established for at least 5 years," he said, fixing Sasuke with a curious glance.

"I am aware of that, but this company has had exceptional performance," he paused to gauge Fugaku's attention and when he saw that he was listening intently he continued, "for the last three quarters they have reported a positive net operating profit. Their stock price has risen by 60% and their earnings per share have increased 35% over the last two quarters."

Fugaku gave the documents in his hands a last thoughtful glance before turning to Itachi, "have you taken a look at this?" Itachi nodded and Sasuke inwardly cringed at what he knew would come next. "And what did you think?"

Itachi straightened in his chair, his face adopting the stern and serious look he always had when it came to business. "As I already told Sasuke, I don't think this company is a good prospect. They have not been around long enough. Their products have caused a hype, but their sales will most likely decline as more competitors enter the market."

His father had seemed interested enough in his idea. Sasuke was ready to fight Itachi to defend his proposal. "Yes, but they were one of the first in the market and that has earned them strong consumer loyalty."

"We cannot invest our capital on a simple assumption that consumer loyalty will last."

Sasuke's patience was growing thin at Itachi's stubbornness, "it is not an assumption. While most new businesses are still on the red in their second year, they broke even in less than one. They are expanding their product selection as well as their target market and their management has been very efficient."

"For now. We should observe their performance for a couple more years."

"If we invest now our return will triplicate from what it would be if we waited-"

"And if the company fails our losses would be even greater," Itachi interrupted, the finality in his voice indicated that his mind was made up and nothing would change his opinion.

Still Sasuke was ready to retort when Fugaku intervened, "Sasuke, your brother is right. Let's observe their performance for another year and then we will reevaluate. Well, if that was all, the meeting is adjourned."

At that, one by one the members of the board of directors stood and left the meeting room, Sasuke being the first. Kakashi caught up with him and gave him a slap on the back as he followed him to his office. The younger Uchiha looked as calm and collected as ever but Kakashi knew him well enough to know he was nothing short of furious. Not that he could blame him. He was the chief financial officer of Uchiha Enterprises and yet most of the decisions that a CFO would normally make on his own at any other company he could not make without Fugaku's or actually Itachi's approval. Fugaku might have had the title but Itachi was the one who truly ran the company and made all decisions.

Once inside his office, Sasuke channeled some of his anger by slamming his fist on his desk before sitting in front of the computer intent on getting some work done.

"Hey, I need you to look at the estimates for the new equipment."

"Why don't you ask Itachi?" sulked Sasuke tapping the keys a tad harder than necessary.

Kakashi smiled softly. He was possibly the only person in the world to whom the stoic Uchiha ever showed any kind of emotion. On the surface they didn't seem like the best of friends –Kakashi with his well-placed "constructive criticism" and his teasing and Sasuke's sharp retorts– but in truth they had a very close relationship. The silver haired man had seen Sasuke grow up and he had even raised the boy to a certain extent. He had definitely been more present in his life than his own father and he was the closest to a confidant that the aloof and proud Uchiha would ever allow in his life.

"I'm asking you because you're the CFO and that's your job," he retorted playfully.

"Just a damn title," he mumbled and the scowl marring his features deepened at the sight of his brother coming in.

Itachi walked up to Sasuke and tapped him playfully on the forehead, something he did every time he shut down any of Sasuke's proposals or overrode any of his decisions. Sasuke was about to politely ask him to get the hell out of his office when his secretary's voice emanating from the intercom on his desk stopped him mid-sentence.

"Sorry to interrupt. I have Ms. Hyuga on the line. She would like to speak to you. Would you like me to transfer the call or take a message?"

He lifted an eyebrow. Why would Hinata call him in his office? And she could not have had worse timing. He inwardly sighed at the conspiratorial look and wicked smiles drawn on Kakashi and Itachi's faces. Just what he needed. This definitely was not his day and to think it wasn't even halfway over yet.

"I'll take the call," he finally said, resigned to his fate. He didn't even try to stop Itachi from reaching over his shoulder and pressing the "speaker" key on the phone.

"S-Sasuke-san? Um… s-sorry to bother you," stuttered Hinata's shy voice from the other end of the line.

"What is it?" he asked in a tired tone massaging his temples.

"I am so sorry but I… I won't be able to make it to our date today."

Upon hearing the news, Kakashi's glance shot to Itachi and to his delight, he found him waving one of his Icha Icha Paradise special editions suggestively over Sasuke's head. He immediately jumped into action wasting no time in picking up the receiver.

"Hinata-chan! Hope you're doing fine… Oh me? I'm doing great. Thanks. But what is this I hear that you're standing up our poor Sasuke… you don't say… well in that case the more the merrier, right?"

Sasuke was using all of his self control not to snatch the phone from Kakashi's hand and beat him unconscious with it while a seemingly oblivious Kakashi chatted away with Hinata, "of course he'll love to. Where is it?" Kakashi reached over for a notepad and a pen and jotted down an address, "got it. Alright, he'll be there at 3:30 on the dot… sure no problem. It was very nice talking to you. Take care!"

The silver haired man hung up the phone, ripped the page from the pad and handed it to Sasuke with a wink and a "later" before walking out of the office with Itachi in tow.

"Promise me you'll visit my grave," he said as Itachi handed him his well-earned book just outside Sasuke's door, the smile on his face belying the anxiety of his words.

"Where are they going for their date?"

The corners of Itachi's mouth practically reached his ears when Kakashi told him. He wore the same wicked grin long afterwards. Even as Sasuke sat in his car in front of a brick building overflowing with children, asking himself how in the world he had been bamboozled into going.

Itachi's teary speech on self-sacrifice and his offer to go in Sasuke's place to save the family from the shame of breaking a promise to a Hyuga had barely moved the Uchiha. Kakashi offering his always uncalled for advice on how women preferred men who were sensible had gone in one ear and out the other. Itachi bemoaning that he had always been better suited than his coldhearted younger brother for charity was what finally pried a "fine. I'll go" from Sasuke's clenched teeth.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, Sasuke debated whether to stay to shut Itachi up or go home to a glass of scotch and hundreds of pages of reports. One look at the bunch of loud children running past the car windows made up his mind. He was about to drive away when he saw Hinata's slender frame reflected on the rearview mirror. She was standing among the crowd of children, presumably keeping a lookout for him. He swore under his breath and turned off the car. As much as he tried to deny it, _she _was the other reason why he had come. He found her quite… amusing. Telling himself that his day couldn't possibly get any worse than it had been and that tutoring a bunch of brats for an hour or so wouldn't hurt, Sasuke got off the car.

OoOoOoOoOo

Even though the sun was shining brightly it did little to warm up against the cold autumn air blowing by. Hinata pulled her sweater tighter against her body with her left hand while she shielded her eyes from the sun with her right. She kept looking from side to side, craning her neck, just in case the dark-haired Uchiha did come. She had little hope he would, even if Kakashi-san had promised the contrary. She just couldn't picture Sasuke doing volunteer work, much less if it involved children.

After another sweeping glance that only showed the dwindling crowd of children and no Uchiha, she sighed in defeat. She was about to go back inside when she finally saw him crossing the street with the gait of someone being sent to the gallows. After nimbly avoiding getting run over by the overly enthusiastic children, he made his way across the school's entrance to stand in front of her with a scowl and a face that scared all the nearby children away.

"H-hello, Sasuke-san. T-thanks for coming," she greeted, stopping herself just in time before the "wow! You actually came!" in her head made its way to her mouth.

"Hn."

"Um… let's go then. This way please," said Hinata making her way to the main doors, her initial happiness and surprise giving way to the usual nervousness now that he was there in person.

Sasuke followed her inside the almost deserted building, their footsteps echoing loudly off the pale pistachio green walls. He let his eyes wander around the place; it certainly was a lot more austere than the private schools he had attended. Classrooms flanked either side of the hallway. The paint was chipped off on some spots and cracks ran along the tiles on the floor. Paintings and drawings made by the students decorated some of the walls while others bore posters and flyers announcing the various events going on in the school. They kept going through the main hallway that bisected the building until they reached a double set of glass doors that took them back outside.

They walked for a few more steps and rounded a corner to arrive at the school's back lot where a lonely yellow bus caught Sasuke's attention. Odd, he figured all the buses would be out taking the students home. He lowered his gaze and the next thing that caught his attention made his brows furrow in puzzlement. About a dozen creatures, whose heads stood barely forty inches above the ground, stood next to the bus. Sasuke turned to look at Hinata with a raised eyebrow. Even if he hadn't said a word, his expression told her that he had no idea what in the world was going on.

"Um… as a treat before Christmas break we are taking the kindergarteners to the mall to paint ceramic figurines. We are chaperoning," said Hinata with a nervous smile, half expecting him to stomp out of there. "Um, Kakashi-san didn't tell you?" It was more a statement than a question.

"No," he replied, a vein popping on his temple.

They were chaperoning a bunch of 5 year-olds! Of course that bastard Kakashi hadn't told him anything. Sasuke had heard "school" and simply assumed that the volunteering would involve tutoring. Sasuke's hands turned to fists. As he pondered how many years he would get for homicide, a plump older woman with white, short curly hair and rosy cheeks came bounding over to them, surprisingly agile for her age.

"Hinata-chan! So this is your friend," she asked looking Sasuke over before turning to look at Hinata with a glint in her eye, which caused the girl to turn pink. "Thank you very much for coming! I am Mrs. Jenkins. What's your name, sweetie?"

Had Hinata not been afraid that Sasuke would disintegrate the poor woman with his death glare she would've laughed at the expression on his face. He obviously did not get called "sweetie" often, if ever.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he replied evenly, the vein on his temple throbbing dangerously.

"Pleased to meet you, Sasuke-kun!" she took Sasuke's hand that was lying limply by his side and shook it vigorously between hers. "Well, we are all ready to go," she said grinning from ear to ear before going to gather the children to get them onto the bus.

Sasuke was the last one to board the bus. Not wanting to have anything to do with the noisy brats, he made his way to the empty seats at the very back of the bus. On his wake, he left a dozen children recoiling back in their seats, wondering if he was a real ogre or a demon.

A few minutes into the ride, the children, seeing how the strange man was too busy with his phone, poured their attention on Hinata to ask who the ogre look-alike was.

"He's…" she had to take a few seconds to think it over. What was Sasuke to her? They had just met, but technically you could call him a boyfriend since they were on their second "date." Yet they hadn't even held hands, so she settled for something in between, "my friend."

"Why?" a girl in pigtails asked, obviously puzzled as to how sweet and nice Hinata could be friends with someone so scary.

"Is he a real ogre?" asked a boy with freckles, the apprehension evident on his face.

Well he certainly looked like one, on the surface. Hinata shook her head and smiled as the previous night's date came to mind.

"No, he's not. He's a nice person once you get to know him. He's just… shy, so be nice to him, okay? Go back to your seats. We're almost there," she replied ruffling the boy's hair softly.

Hinata turned discreetly to look at Sasuke and let out a sigh of relief. He was still absorbed checking his email on his blackberry. She turned back around to look out the window, missing the tiny smirk playing on his lips. He had heard. Even though the conversation had been in whispers, the bus was about half the size of a normal school bus and Sasuke had exceptional hearing. Yes, she was definitely amusing, he concluded.

After a few more minutes they finally arrived to the mall. The kids, barely able to contain their excitement, hopped off the bus as soon as it came to a full stop. Mrs. Jenkins hurried after them to get them back on a single line and marched them off to the humongous building. They walked past several stores, carefully avoiding the crowds of shoppers until they stopped in front of a set of windows lined with ceramic figures of different animals, dragons, fairies, Santa Clauses, and Christmas trees of all sizes and colors. Sasuke looked up at the sign and paled. Pink fluffy letters bordered by clouds and winged rosy-cheeked pigs read: "The Painted Piggy." Impaling Kakashi and Itachi too, while he was at it, was looking more and more appealing.

He walked inside the store to three long tables flanked by aisles of white plaster figures peppered with samples of finished pieces, more winged pigs plastered all over the walls, and a bunch of rambunctious children. After a few minutes of pandemonium all the kids, outfitted with plastic smocks decorated with winged pigs, sat in front of a white figurine, a place mat, paints, and brushes, ready to begin painting.

"Sasuke-kun, this one will be your table," said Mrs. Jenkins pointing to one of the long tables, where four kids sat looking rather mortified that he was going to be the one in charge of their table.

He nodded and started walking towards his assignment when Mrs. Jenkins stopped him. "Hold on, dear. You don't want to get your nice suit dirty. Put this on," she said handing him one of the piggy-ridden smocks in adult size.

The Uchiha stood there, not moving a muscle to accept the hideous thing being offered to him. The woman must have been either blind or extremely brave. He was giving her one of his most deadly glares, one that had sent employees twice his age whimpering in terror. Mrs. Jenkins just stood there, with the smile of the sweetest grandma taken straight out of a nursery rhyme. "Thank you very much for coming, dear. You and Hinata-chan are so kind. If it wasn't for you two these children wouldn't have been able to come here today. God knows I can't handle the little devils on my own. I am sure they are very thankful too."

He sighed. He wasn't that coldhearted and knew when to admit defeat. With a mumbled "no problem" he took the smock and put it on before resuming his walk towards the table looking around for security cameras. Itachi would somehow obtain the tapes. Fortunately, stealing plaster figurines didn't seem to be popular since there weren't any.

"He is Hinata-chan's friend. She said to be nice to him," whispered a kid with wispy blond hair and glasses to his tablemates as Sasuke took his seat across from them.

The other three kids nodded and gave Sasuke a nervous grin which he answered with a curt nod wishing that he would have listened to his common sense and gone home.

After a few minutes of awkward silence the children deemed it safe to converse amongst themselves. The ogre seemed peaceful. First they started talking in whispers and then grew louder and even started giggling, forgetting about, or choosing to ignore, the looming figure across the table. The boy with the blond hair and glasses was painting his cow green with purple spots while the boy next to him painted his yellow. The redhead girl to the boy's right was painting her cat blue and the dark haired girl on the other side of the boy with the glasses was painting multicolored polka dots on her pink fish.

Sasuke fought the urge to point out that cats were not blue, or fish hot pink, or cows green. Instead he let his gaze wander around the room. All the children seemed really happy painting the little figurines. They were all smiling and, with Mrs. Jenkins walking around the tables with a big smile on her face, the only thing missing to make the scene look like one of those Christmas illustrations of Mrs. Claus among Santa's elves were pointy hats on the kids' heads.

"It's just plaster," he mumbled absentmindedly, perplexed by the scene. How could these children be so happy about painting the little figurines which, by the way, were not even anatomically correct?

"Well to them is a treat."

Sasuke turned to his left startled to see Mrs. Jenkins sitting next to him on the bench with a wistful look on her face. He hadn't even felt the old lady approaching.

"You see, these children come from very poor families. When you have so little even the seemingly most insignificant things seem like a treasure," she said before getting up and patting Sasuke's head affectionately, her face lit up once more by one of her beaming smiles. Surprisingly he didn't recoil at the touch like he normally did when someone got too close. Her touch was rather soothing.

Returning his gaze to his charges, he noticed that the blond boy's pants were fraying at the hems and that they had a patch of mismatched fabric on one knee. The redheaded girl's shoes were very worn. The dark haired girl's sweater seemed too big for her, no doubt a hand-me-down from an older sibling. And yet they seemed so happy. He couldn't help but think of his nephews, Itachi's children. When was the last time he had seen them laughing and just having fun for the sake of it? When was the last time he had seen them with an expression of pure bliss on their faces? They had everything a child could ever want and yet he had never seen them smile like this.

He then thought back to his own childhood. He had been raised the "Uchiha way," which meant no time for nonsense, like games, laughter, or painting petty things like plaster figurines. If he was to paint something it had to be "true art," on a canvas. True Uchihas were too busy for any kind of nonsense. He had to study, become better than all his classmates, who were also being groomed to succeed their parents in their families' businesses once they grew up. Sasuke had an additional burden; he also had to become better than his older brother. He had to prove to his father that he could be just as amazing as Itachi, even better, and that he was worthy of being an Uchiha. He was too busy trying to beat his brother and gain his father's praise to ever think about playing or having fun. With sadness he realized that Itachi's children were being brought up the same way, each competing with each other not only trying to outdo each other but to surpass their father.

"Um… excuse me… mister?"

Sasuke was brought out of his reverie by the dark haired girl in pigtails tugging at his sleeve. "Um… do you know how to write?"

Sasuke's eyebrows shot to his forehead. Did this girl know who he was? Reminding himself that she was only a child he bit back his retort and simply nodded.

She fidgeted with one of the sleeves of her too big sweater before looking back up at him with a blush, "c-could you write my grammy's name on my fishy? I-I want to give it to her as a present."

The Uchiha let a smirk grace his lips before taking the fish from the girl's outstretched hand. She reminded him of someone. "What is her name?"

"Sachiko."

Sasuke wrote the name in his neat calligraphy on the side of the fish and handed it back to the girl, who rewarded him with a big toothy grin and a "thanks, mister!"

She bowed clumsily and in the process knocked down a bottle of paint, which spilled and dripped down the side of the table directly onto Sasuke's leg.

"I'm sorry," she said with a look of terror and tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Yes, she definitely reminded him of somebody.

"It's ok," he muttered, deftly cleaning up the mess with a paper towel and letting a tiny smile creep to his face to reassure the little girl and stop the waterworks before they got out of control.

At this, the girl let out a sigh of relief and gave him another smile before running off to show her fish to a couple of girls on the table next to theirs.

Seeing how he was harmless, the other three kids also walked up to Sasuke with excited looks on their faces.

"Could you write my mommy's name on mine?"

"And my sister's name on mine?"

Soon every child was lined in front of Sasuke with requests to have somebody's name written on their figurine.

"Bless their little hearts. Look how happy they are," said Mrs. Jenkins beaming herself.

Hinata nodded and watched the scene with a faraway look on her face. If she ever had children that is how she would want them to be. Always smiling and playing, completely carefree, without having to worry about inheriting the family business or being better than their siblings. Just like a child should be. Her eyes landed on Sasuke and, blushing furiously, she realized that if things worked out it might just be _his_ children she would raise.

After stopping at the candy store while the figurines dried, the children marched back to the bus and the merry group went back to the school. Once there, Mrs. Jenkins had them line up for a group "thank you" and a polite bow. She squeezed Sasuke and Hinata tightly before marching back to the school building with her kids in tow.

Hinata was about to say goodbye to Sasuke's retreating back when he paused and motioned for her to follow, "I'll take you home."

"Thanks," she replied hurrying after him.

The ride home was just like the previous night's: in silence, Sasuke with his eyes on the road and Hinata on the passenger seat fidgeting with the strap of her purse. Well, almost like it. Maybe it was just the fuzzy feeling still bubbling in Hinata at spending time with the children but somehow the silence felt less awkward than the previous night's.

"I didn't know the Hyugas took charity to such extents," said Sasuke breaking the silence.

Hinata smiled. She knew what he meant. It was common for important families to attend fundraising events like balls or dinners and donate large sums of money but not to actually do hands-on volunteering.

"W-well, my best friend, Ino… she's studying to become a teacher. She volunteered at the school, but since she went to South America for her student teaching she asked me if I could come help once in a while."

"Hn."

"I'm sorry about your suit," said Hinata looking guiltily at the bright yellow stain on Sasuke's pant leg.

"The dry cleaners love you."

Hinata's eyes widened at the memory of their previous date. "Yeah," she replied blushing at the playful smirk on Sasuke's face.

After a couple more minutes, Sasuke stopped in front of the Hyuga manor. Hinata opened the car door and paused, suddenly remembering something. "C-can I please have your cell phone number?" she blurted out. "S-so I don't have to bother you at your office anymore."

She still remembered the morning's ordeal trying to get a hold of him. Since Sasuke was one of the top executives at Uchiha Enterprises getting to talk to him was virtually impossible for anyone outside the company's top brass or VIP customers. After being transferred countless times and having her call dropped twice she finally decided to use her influences as a Hyuga and was finally connected to his office.

Sasuke merely shrugged, pulled out his blackberry and dialed Hinata's number.

"Your father," was Sasuke's reply to Hinata's wide-eyed stare at her ringing phone. Of course it had to be Hiashi! How else would Sasuke have her cell phone number?

"Good night and thanks again. S-see you tomorrow."

Hinata walked up to the house, a tiny flicker of confidence and hope burning in her chest. Today she wouldn't attempt to make a run for her room. She didn't mind if Hiashi was waiting for her. It still hadn't been the perfect date, heck they hadn't even held hands yet, but it had been far better than the day before. She had seen yet another bit of that side of Sasuke, which she had caught a small glimpse of the night before. Her suspicions had been mostly confirmed. He might put on a cold, indifferent front but deep down he was a nice person. He had been extremely patient with the children and, not to mention with Mrs. Jenkins. The memory of Sasuke in the piggy-ridden smock patiently writing names on the children's figurines brought a smile to her lips.

"He would make a good father, wouldn't he?" she mused out loud.

**

* * *

****Author's Note: **well that was it for their second date... if you can call it that hehehehe. Please stay tuned for the next one!

If you would click on that little box to your left that says "review" on it, you would make me the happiest person in the world :)


	5. Day Three

**Note: **The authoress of this fic is extremely ashamed and currently hiding behind a closet. Please enjoy the next installment of Omiai and feel free to help yourselves to a picture of the authoress so that you may throw darts at it when you're bored.

Thank you very much for all your reviews and patience ^^

**Disclaimer: **sadly, I still don't own Naruto or any of its characters and I'm making no money off this little fic.

**

* * *

**

**Day Three: Stranded **

"Are you kidding?" was the response from a completely unfazed Hanabi at Hinata's keen recount of her latest date with Sasuke Uchiha.

"Huh?" Hinata's brows furrowed in puzzlement at Hanabi's reaction.

"I thought you were serious about this, Hinata."

"I-I am! I'm trying–"

"You call drinking coffee and taking a bunch of kids painting _trying_?" Hinata was cut off mid sentence by Hanabi, who, when she got into one of her tirades was the perfect picture of Grandmother –minus the black stone heart.

Biting her lip, Hinata kept tuning in and out of Hanabi's lecture, recalling all the time she had spent with Sasuke and internally debating whether she had actually made any progress like she had initially thought.

"… if he was really interested don't you think he would have at least attempted something? Has he even touched you? A brush of fingers? Anything?"

Hinata's eyes widened at Hanabi's words, all her hopes and excitement dying slowly in her chest. She was right. Sasuke hadn't even attempted to start a conversation much less make any sort of physical contact.

Hanabi shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe you can get some advice from them," she said pointing with her chin at a couple of little children walking past the windows of the car.

Hinata blinked and stared at Hanabi, "they're just children…?"

Hanabi returned Hinata's puzzled gaze with a stern one. "They are holding hands."

That extinguished the last ember of hope that had been flickering in Hinata's chest and she spent the rest of the ride to school in silence. To make her morning even more miserable, the first thing that greeted her upon her arrival was the sight of Naruto's fiancé getting off the bus right outside the school. With a pained expression, Hinata followed Sakura with her gaze from the first step she took off the bus until she disappeared behind the school doors. She then caught her own reflection on the windows of the very luxurious car she had been riding only seconds ago and felt insignificant. What normally would make anyone feel superior only made Hinata feel useless. Sakura radiated confidence while all Hinata ever wanted to do was to disappear.

'_Is that why Naruto-kun chose her over me?_' was the thought running through Hinata's head until Hanabi tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to go in already. With a sigh she followed her younger sister into the building and up a flight of stairs until they arrived to the classroom for their first class of the day.

"Prove the old lady wrong," said Hanabi as she walked past Hinata to take her seat.

Hinata nodded and a small smile graced her features. The bit of encouragement had served to rekindle her fighting spirit. That, and after seeing Sakura she had decided that she would try to be more confident and bold. Sasuke was going to hold her hand if it killed her! Sadly, the way things were going it just might.

OoOoOoOoOo

"I didn't know you were a poet."

Sasuke entered his office to find an amused Kakashi swiveling on his chair holding a wrinkled piece of paper on one hand and his ever present Icha Icha Paradise book on the other.

"I'm not," he deadpanned snatching the sheet of paper from Kakashi's hand. "It's Hinata's."

"I take it your dating is going quite well then." He stood up from the chair with a wink. "She's writing you poetry, you lover boy you," he gushed, poking Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke swatted his hand away and gave him a glare that clearly said "shut up" before taking his seat on the chair Kakashi had just vacated. In quiet surprise Kakashi observed Sasuke carefully replace the wrinkled piece of paper back in between the pages of the book where he had first found it. More surprising than the paper not ending in the trashcan was the fact that Sasuke wasn't even aware of what he had just done. He would never have shown such care in front of another soul otherwise.

"She's not half bad," said Kakashi with a curious smile at what he had just witnessed, "wasn't Sakuraba-sensei bemoaning the lack of young literary talent the other day? Bet he'd like her."

Sasuke barely blinked at Kakashi's obvious suggestion and in his ever apathetic tone asked, "what do you want?"

"All my advice going down the drain," sighed Kakashi dramatically. "Did you get a chance to look at the estimates I left on your desk yesterday?"

"Ask Techtrek for 10% off or free maintenance for a year. If they don't agree, go with CTS," he handed Kakashi the estimates riddled with notes and calculations, "the printers for accounting can wait another six months."

"Yes, sir," he said saluting Sasuke as he made his way towards the door.

"Stay out of my stuff," warned the younger Uchiha as way of goodbye to the silver haired man waving over his shoulder and hiding a chuckle behind his turtleneck sweater. He had conveniently forgotten to mention that Sakuraba would most likely be giving Sasuke a call to inquire about his new literary discovery.

OoOoOoOoOo

"Hinata, you should change majors. Law is not your thing."

The Hyuga heiress listened patiently to her teacher with a sense of déjà vu. This wasn't the first time they had had the same conversation and she had already received the same suggestion from at least two other teachers since she had begun studying business law. Even though she had excellent grades, her dislike and disinterest in the subject were quite evident, leaving more than one teacher pondering why in the world she had chosen that career to begin with. Hanekoma-sensei was the only one she had trusted with the real reason. He was one of the few teachers she actually liked. She even enjoyed his classes despite her dislike of the subject.

"Hanekoma-sensei, you know I _have_ to get my degree on business law." She gave him the same reply as always.

"I don't see why. You are absolutely miserable in this school. Hinata, your family won't be living your life. You're the only one who can do that." He paused from his task of gathering his books and the assignments he had just collected to look directly into her eyes. "You should be doing what _you _love."

Hinata averted her gaze. Hanekoma-sensei's concern for her and the truth of his words always made her resolve to live up to her family's expectations waver and her burden feel heavier. That was why she hated talking to him when he decided to hold her after class once or twice every couple of months to discuss the subject.

Mentally she went through the many reasons why she couldn't let her family down. The more she talked to Hanekoma-sensei the less she believed her own reasons and the more they sounded like mere excuses for her own cowardice.

"M-maybe I'll be able to switch majors..." she whispered looking down at her shoes.

"What was that?" Hanekoma-sensei had been retrieving his suitcase from under the desk and thus missed what Hinata had said.

She opened her mouth to repeat what she had just said when a thought occurred to her: what would Hanekoma-sensei have to say about her intentions of becoming Sasuke Uchiha's wife just to escape from being the Hyuga heiress? He would surely think it worse than her studying law just to please her family. She could already imagine all the sermons that would follow. Fortunately, the students coming in for the next class saved her from having to answer to Hanekoma-sensei, who dismissed her with a sigh and a "we'll talk again."

She nodded and left the classroom with a resigned smile. She knew she shouldn't complain. She knew he meant well and that she should be following his advice but she was a coward. She could not stand up to her family. The mere thought of Grandma's reaction gave her goose bumps. Her only option still seemed to be marriage, although in reality it was probably harder to attain than a doctorate. Sasuke was just such a difficult person to deal with…

"Oh my God! It's so late!"

Hinata ran the rest of the way to her locker and hastily opened the door. She shoved everything she had in her hands inside and pulled out her purse and jacket before hurrying down the stairs to meet up with Sasuke, who was supposed to be waiting for her by one of the side gates of the school. By the time she arrived to the gate Sasuke was leaning against his car, eyes set on his watch, and a scowl etched on his handsome features.

"S-sorry I'm late," she panted trying to catch her breath and running a hand through her hair. She hadn't even had time to go for a quick retouch in the bathroom.

Sasuke spared her a quick glance before getting inside the car. She followed suit not wanting to make him wait any longer.

"Where to?"

"Um… well, I have to go to the History Museum for an assignment, so I… I thought t-that maybe we could go there." At not getting a reaction from him she hastily added, "or we can go somewhere else if you want."

A one shoulder shrug was his only response before he started the car and began driving.

As Sasuke wove through the narrow streets downtown, Hinata kept opening and closing her mouth intent on telling him of the "plan" she had come up with during her Transactional Law class. The plan was straightforward enough: they would try a new boyfriend-girlfriend thing every day to get to know each other better, but for the life of her she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Every time she would open her mouth and be on the verge of telling Sasuke, the words would just stay stuck in her throat and she would then close her mouth to start the cycle all over again. She finally decided to give it a rest when Sasuke pulled into the underground parking garage of the museum.

Once outside, Hinata's attention was immediately caught by the gray stone façade in front of her. Despite being only three stories tall, the building stood out proudly among the much taller and modern constructions around it. The museum had originally been the private home of an eccentric billionaire who was fascinated by colonial Latin American architecture, hence the very out of place structure in the heart of the modern city.

The intricate designs of birds and flowers carved on the walls and the ornate columns that supported the arches that opened to a rectangular courtyard always fascinated Hinata and made her think of young ladies in long dresses and romantic rendezvous. As they walked through the courtyard towards the entrance, Hinata took a moment to appreciate her favorite piece in the entire museum: a fountain covered in hand painted blue and white tiles with accents of yellow and lilac. Despite it being turned off because of the season, the fountain was still as beautiful as the rest of the building that, just like books, always transported Hinata to a different place and time. She sighed and a wistful smile adorned her lips. The museum had a special place in her heart.

"Mother and father used to bring me here when I was little."

It took Hinata a moment to realize that she had said the words out loud. Sasuke was looking at her with the same blank look on his face, but the little spark of interest in his dark eyes silently told her to continue.

"M-my mother loved the building and also two of her favorite paintings are part of the museum's collection. W-we used to come here often. I even wrote a story for her about this place. I think it was the first story I ever wrote," she finished with a shy smile and a tinge of red on her cheeks as they finished crossing the courtyard to the foyer of the house and now lobby of the museum, where they purchased their tickets.

"Um… I need to go to the historical documents section upstairs," said Hinata after consulting the map of the museum prominently displayed on one of the walls. Seeing no resistance on Sasuke's part, she led the way to the grand staircase that would take them to the second level of the museum.

The fuzzy feeling she had first felt at returning to one of the cherished places of her childhood was ebbing away and the anxiety she always felt at being with Sasuke was taking its place. As usual, Hinata was trying to come up with something to say to break the silence. Something to pique his interest. Anything to make him think she wasn't that boring of a person. She was begging to all deities out there to help her come up with something to say when help came from the least expected place.

"What was it about?"

"Huh?" Hinata was caught completely by surprise.

"The story you wrote. What was it about?"

Hinata looked behind her to make sure it was her Sasuke was talking to. A raised eyebrow and the impatient look on his face urged her to answer.

"Um… well it was about two girls who move into this house after it's been abandoned for a long time…" she absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she racked her memory. "And they discover a fairy that lived in the fountain outside." Her cheeks tinted red when she noticed she had Sasuke's full attention. "Or something silly like that," she finished with a nervous smile suddenly finding the carpet covering the grand staircase quite interesting.

They finished climbing the stairs to reach a spacious landing that extended into long hallways at either side. They took the route to their right and walked past a couple of chambers full of artifacts in glass cases, paintings, and period furniture until they arrived to the "historical documents section" in what used to be the library of the house. Rows of bookcases lined the walls and occupied about a third of the vast room. A couple of richly carved tables sat in front of the tiled fireplace at the back of the room where plush chairs invited to the reading of the many volumes that filled the bookcases. But Hinata's attention immediately went to the glass cases prominently displayed in the center of the room. It was a collection of books, commercial documents, and ledgers, a few of which dated back to the XVII and XVIII centuries. Her assignment was to look at them and write a research paper on historical recordkeeping of commercial transactions.

Hinata's second passion after writing was books. She was so fascinated by the documents in the glass cases that she forgot about Sasuke and the rest of the world in general for a moment. When she finally tore her eyes from the cases she looked around her to find that Sasuke wasn't there anymore. She took a look around the room and among the rows of bookcases and even called his name a couple of times, but the Uchiha was nowhere to be found.

Thinking that Sasuke had gotten bored and gone off on his own to see the rest of the museum, she let out a dejected sigh and went back to the glass cases to take some quick notes so that she could go look for him. She really hoped that he wouldn't have fled the building by then.

She was almost done taking notes when the sound of her name made her look up to find a tall middle aged man in a brown tweed jacket and horn-rimmed glasses.

"Y-yes?" she answered with a nervous smile.

"I am Professor Lightman, curator of the museum." Hinata quickly removed her notebook from the case she had been using as a desk, praying that she wouldn't get banned from the museum. Although leaning on the glass cases didn't seem like that big of an offense to her. "A pleasure to meet you," he continued, offering his hand, which she shook weakly.

"Young Sasuke tells me that you are very interested in these documents."

That was when she saw the Uchiha leaning against the door frame. She nodded slowly.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" the professor asked with a smile, producing a box of gloves from a small bag he was carrying.

Hinata's eyes turned to saucers and she looked from Sasuke and back to professor Lightman not believing her ears. "Y-you mean I can…? But the air and, and…" Hinata babbled fearing it was all a joke or one of her daydreams.

"Don't worry. The environment and temperature are controlled in this room to protect all of the books," said professor Lightman, chuckling at Hinata's reaction. He handed Hinata and Sasuke gloves before putting on a pair himself and unlocking the case exposing the precious manuscripts. "Go on. Just handle them with care."

Hinata took one of the books carefully, almost with reverence, and passed the pages slowly, drinking in all the calligraphy, the illustrations, and handwritten notes on the margins. Even being the Hyuga heiress she had never had the chance to see books of such antiquity up close, not to mention touch them.

Even if he looked perpetually bored, Sasuke was anything but. It wasn't every day that he got to see antiques like these up close, but what was even more fascinating than the books was the expression on Hinata's face. She looked like a little kid in a candy store. He had never seen her so excited. She kept asking professor Lightman questions and making comments about the books. No signs of the shy girl who barely spoke and stuttered every other sentence.

After they finished looking at the books and professor Lightman had locked them again in their cases, the three of them took a quick stroll around the second floor of the museum. The professor chatting animatedly, giving them all sorts of facts and information about some of the most famed objects of the museum and telling some anecdotes of his days as a college professor.

"Yes, young Sasuke here was one of my most brilliant students but alas, he decided to pursue business rather than the arts," said the professor with a smile. "Well, I have to get back to work. Please enjoy the rest of the museum. It was a real pleasure meeting you, Hinata-chan. Please drop by any time. The same goes for you, Sasuke," he said shaking hands with Hinata and giving Sasuke a slap on the back before making his way back to his office in the lower levels of the museum.

After thanking the professor and bidding him goodbye, Hinata and Sasuke continued the tour on their own by taking a look around the rooms on the first floor. Their last stop was the gift shop, where Sasuke paid for a set of keychain and cell phone strap replicas of the fountain in the courtyard that he had snatched from Hinata's hands as she had been about to reach into her purse for her wallet.

Noticing that Sasuke hadn't gotten anything for himself, Hinata thought it was only fair that she shared the souvenir he had so gallantly gotten for her. Thus she handed Sasuke the keychain while she kept the matching cell phone strap.

With a nostalgic smile Hinata took a last look at the heavy oak doors of the entrance before following Sasuke outside, where her eyes landed on the bus stop on the opposite corner and a thought dawned on her.

Sasuke, sensing that Hinata was no longer following him to the parking lot, stopped and turned to see her still standing by the entrance staring off into space.

"Coming?"

She hesitated for a moment. She looked from the bus stop and back to Sasuke, "um… I, I have to go somewhere else. See you tomorrow. T-thank you!"

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and continued on his way to his car while Hinata waved to his back. Once she saw him disappear inside the parking garage she went to the bus stop and sat on the bench to wait for the bus, giddiness bubbling up in her chest. True, Hinata had only taken the bus once before with Naruto, but if Sakura could ride the bus on her own so could she!

Hinata only had to wait a few minutes before the bus stopped in front of her. Taking a deep breath she climbed the three steps into the bus all the while trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. Fortunately, the person in front of her seemed to be more knowledgeable and following their example she took some change out of her pocket and deposited it in the coin box before taking one of the few empty seats towards the middle of the bus. From her previous experience she knew the bus would leave her only a few blocks away from her house.

Feeling quite proud of herself and knowing that she still had a ways to go she took out a book from her bag and started reading. Soon she was completely immersed in the story and all the sounds and sights around her were completely tuned out. She had been reading for a good while when she finally looked up to check on her progress. She was surprised at the sight of factories she didn't remember seeing the last time she had ridden the bus. She looked around her and noticed that the bus was almost empty.

"E-excuse me, do you know if the City Park stop is far from here?" she asked an elderly woman who was making her way to the doors as the bus neared the next stop.

The woman's eyebrows rose. "Dear, that was like 6 stops ago," she said as she exited the bus giving her a sympathetic smile.

Hinata watched the woman's form disappear as the bus continued on its journey and a sense of dread swelled in her chest. In a panic, she rushed to get off at the next stop without pausing to consider where she was. Not that it would have made a difference since she had no idea where in the world she was. She got off the bus and looked around, hoping that something would seem familiar and help her get her bearings. No such luck. She stared all around her for a few more minutes just to confirm what she already knew: she was completely and utterly lost.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She laughed at herself when she realized where she was standing. She was still at the bus stop. How clear things looked once you calmed down! She only had to wait for the bus going on the opposite direction to come by and she would be able to get home. At finding that all she had in her pocket were 5 cents of the change she had gotten from the vending machine earlier that morning, she stuck her hand in her purse to look for her wallet. That was when she realized that her purse felt lighter than usual. She swallowed and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She decided not to panic again and opened the purse to look for her wallet. After the fourth time she had turned everything inside out and looked, she finally admitted it: she didn't have her wallet.

The events of earlier that day slowly replayed in her memory. In her mind's eye she could see herself leaving her purse in her locker and only taking her wallet since the books for the two classes she had back to back were heavy. Then she fast forwarded to the moment when she had ran from Hanekoma's class to her locker and thrown everything inside before pulling out her jacket and purse to rush to meet Sasuke.

She was sitting down with her head in her hands thinking of what to do next when a man in a worn suit sat on the bench next to her.

"Hey cutie," he slurred with a lopsided smile.

As if the reddened face and bloodshot eyes weren't enough telltale signs, the mere smell of alcohol could have gotten her drunk if she stayed around him long enough. He kept trying to catch her attention and strike up a conversation with her or so it seemed. Half his words were so mangled and slurred together that Hinata couldn't make sense of anything he was saying. She kept her eyes glued to the heavily graffittied wall of the building across the street, doing her best to ignore him and figure out what to do next at the same time. When the drunk had been quiet for a while Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had given up on her and was finally going to leave her alone. That was until she felt something heavy fall on her shoulder and the smell of alcohol burning her nostrils. She turned to see the drunk sleeping peacefully using her shoulder as a pillow.

With a shriek she stood up and ran away as fast as she could. After a couple of minutes of running blindly she stopped to catch her breath and taking a look around she realized she had gotten deeper into the strange neighborhood. There were no signs of the drunkard or the bus stop and she had absolutely no idea where she was or how to get back. The sun was already dipping behind the horizon and everything was being drowned in twilight. The streets seemed deserted except for a few shadows in the dark alleyways that opened like dark mouths at either side of her. Figuring that that wasn't the best spot she quickened her pace towards what seemed to be an avenue as it wasn't as narrow and was better lit.

Looking at her surroundings, she grimly thought that if she were to die in that place, she didn't even have an ID on her so that they could identify her corpse. She shook her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts and instead walked inside one of the few buildings that weren't boarded up to ask for directions. It was an ancient looking building of deep blue walls so tarnished that they looked almost black and a lopsided sign on top of a filthy window that was so corroded that the letters were no longer visible. Squinting, she was able to make out the words _fine _and _furnishings _on the sign and was able to confirm her suspicions that it was a furniture shop once she walked in. The inside wasn't much cleaner than the outside. A strong smell of decay filled the air, cobwebs decorated the walls, and dust lined the "fine furnishings" that seemed to have been fashionable decades ago.

"E-excuse me?" she called timidly, looking for someone to give her directions. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard an old man, and presumably owner of the store since he looked just as ancient as the building, growl a "we are closed" before shooing her out and locking the door behind her.

With a sigh she leaned against the wall of the store. She hadn't wanted to, but it was her last option. She had to call home and ask the driver to come get her. So much for being self-reliant. She was in the midst of explaining that she had gotten lost and needed to be picked up when she suddenly heard someone clearing their throat on the other end of the line and she swallowed. No, it couldn't be…

"And just where in the world are you?"

Grandma's voice always chilled her even if she was miles away.

"I thought you were with Sasuke Uchiha," she continued without even giving her time to reply. "Did he get tired of you already and dumped you somewhere?"

"No, i-it's just t-that…" she stuttered trying to come up with a good story.

"Just that what?" Grandma barked on the other end of the line.

Even if she wasn't talking face to face with Grandma, Hinata just couldn't lie to her. She held some sort of power over Hinata and she ended up stuttering the whole truth.

"If you wanted to take the bus like some commoner then get back home like one," came Grandma's response followed by the dial tone. The hag had hung up on her!

Hinata knew it was pointless to call anybody else in the Hyuga household. She was sure that Grandmother had already given the order that no one could pick her up. She had taken her time, but the old woman was finally getting back at Hinata for the times she had stood up to her. Grandma was a firm believer that vengeance was a plate best served cold.

Other than her father, who was away on business, there was only one other person who wouldn't care what Grandma said or what her orders were. She dialed Neji's number and with bathed breath and crossed fingers she heard the phone ring repeatedly until she got the dreaded: "the number you are trying to reach is out of range or turned off. Please try later."

It wasn't a surprise. She knew Neji was often in meetings or supervising constructions outside of the city and coverage areas. Still she dialed Neji's number a couple more times hoping against hope that if she was persistent enough she would finally be able to reach him. She was so worried and caught up in what to do next that she didn't notice the man until he was but a couple of feet away from her.

"Hey sweetie, you looking for work?"

She stared at the man with the look of a deer caught in headlights taking in his purple three piece suit, yellow tie, and matching hat in all their glory. "N-no," she squeaked when she found her voice.

"You sure? You're cute," he said leaning closer to take a better look at her under the dim streetlights. "I can hook you up and you can get some good money."

Hinata shook her head and shrunk farther against the wall trying to melt into it to get away from the strange man, who decided to leave her alone as soon as he heard a car honking.

"Let me know if you change your mind, love," he called over his shoulder as he walked towards the car.

She noticed that the previously deserted street was now more populated with shady characters and scantily dressed women standing in small groups. Shaking and with tears rolling down her cheeks, she slid down the wall all the way to the floor and dialed again. When a deep and monotonous voice answered, her eyes went wide and she hung up. Why had she called Sasuke?!

She was about to call Grandmother to ask for forgiveness, just what the woman wanted, when her phone rang. She gasped when she saw the number on the screen.

"H-hello?"

"Did you just call?"

"Y-yes sorry, I dialed by mistake."

She was trying to even out her voice, but Sasuke caught the trembling and she knew if she stayed on the line long enough he would be able to tell she was crying.

"Where are you?"

"Um… I'm…" she was trying to come up with a good lie. She didn't want to bother him and she was too embarrassed to tell him the truth. Then she saw the strange man in the purple suit winking at her and blowing her kisses from across the street and she finally broke. "I-I don't know," she sobbed.

She heard an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line. "Are there any street signs?"

She looked up from where she was to find a crooked sign by the corner and gave him the street names along with a brief and select account of her misadventures.

"Stay there," was all he said before hanging up.

Nodding weakly, she pulled the hood of her jacket over her eyes, buried her head in her knees, and hugged her legs tightly trying to make herself invisible.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke swore as he hung up the phone. He grabbed his coat and left his apartment without bothering to put his tie back on. When he walked out the door the cold air hit him in the face and he quickened his pace. Wherever the hell Hinata was she was probably freezing.

"I should have taken her home," he mumbled to himself as he got in the car.

How was he to know that the stupid girl would decide on a whim to go on some adventure and get lost along the way? Now he had to go out to who knew where to get her. But as much as he tried to deny it, he was more worried than annoyed. The moment he had heard her voice trembling on the line he had known something was wrong. Once she broke down crying he knew he had to go get her, wherever she was.

Fortunately, it was after rush hour and traffic was light. Taking into account the bus route Hinata had taken and with the aid of his GPS Sasuke was able to figure out where she was. Once he did, he stepped on the gas. She could not have picked a worse neighborhood to get lost in. He drove above the speed limit and flew through a few yellow lights that turned red before he finished crossing until he arrived to the east side of the city. It had once been a booming town, but after all of the factories had closed their doors or moved, it had fallen into decay and disrepair and now served as a nesting ground for all sorts of illicit activities.

When the cool female voice of the GPS announced that he had reached his destination he slowed down and scanned the area, not an easy task behind tinted windows under dim streetlights, many of which were broken. The few still functioning only projected a weak stream of yellowish light that barely illuminated the few feet around the lampposts. He was about to dial Hinata's number when he saw it, a pink lump curled up against a wall.

He stopped the car on the side of the street and walked towards the pink lump ignoring the many stares he was attracting. He was about to reach the sidewalk when a man dressed in a purple three piece suit and yellow tie approached him.

"Looking for something in particular? We got the best gir–" the man stopped mid sentence and decided instead to take a sharp left past Sasuke towards another car that had just stopped by the corner. He was sure that the glacial glare he had received from the dark haired man was capable of turning those on the receiving end to stone.

"Hey."

Hinata's head perked up at the sound of the familiar voice and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Sasuke standing in front of her, even if he looked beyond annoyed.

She got up from her spot on the floor with trembling legs and clung to a corner of Sasuke's coat for dear life as they crossed the street. The car was only a few feet away, but in Hinata's frazzled state of mind it might as well had been miles away. Once they reached the car Sasuke practically shoved her inside and closed the door before getting in and driving away from the place. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that that had been the first time he had opened the door for her.

"I-I'm so sorry. Thanks for picking me up," she stuttered hanging her head.

She didn't receive a reply but she hadn't been expecting one either. They spent the rest of the ride in complete silence. Hinata kept berating herself mentally for screwing up something so simple as taking the bus, a bitter voice inside her head telling her that it was no wonder that Naruto had chosen Sakura over her. Hinata decided that she had to redeem herself somehow.

Once they arrived at the Hyuga mansion she took a deep breath and started, "um… Sasuke-san." Once she knew she had his attention, only visible by the risen eyebrow and his head cocked lightly to the side, she continued, "I was thinking that m-maybe to… to get to know each other better… maybe w-we can try a new b-boyfriend-girlfriend thing every day."

She didn't dare look up at him as she chewed on her lower lip and fidgeted with her index fingers worrying that he would find her proposal indecent.

He seemed to consider the idea for a moment. "Only if you promise not to faint."

He wasn't kidding. Only talking about it had her red up to her ears and trembling.

She nodded and gave him a small smile before getting off the car intent on fleeing the scene. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye. She had only taken a couple of steps away from the car when she heard him call her name. She turned to see that he had gotten off the car and was looking at her with a smirk plastered on his face.

"So what are we trying for today?"

Hinata's eyes widened. She thought for a second, took a deep breath, and clenching her fists she went around the car to where Sasuke was standing and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thank you very much… for everything," he head her say, her voice muffled by his chest.

With her face buried in his chest she missed the priceless expression on Sasuke's face as he awkwardly wrapped his arms loosely around her shoulders. He had been completely caught by surprise. Such a sight would have made Itachi and Kakashi's month had they witnessed the scene. Too bad for them the only one who did was Hiashi, who had arrived minutes before them. He had been about to go inside when he saw Sasuke's car pull up into the circle drive in front of the house and had ducked behind the bushes that flanked the doors of the entrance.

"I have a good feeling about that Uchiha boy," he whispered to the picture of his deceased wife that he was holding next to him as he peered from behind the bushes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** for all of you who wanted them to interact more: they hugged… sort of ~__^ If you can find it in your awesome hearts please leave a review for this terrible procrastinator I will be forever thankful. Love ya!!


	6. Day Four

**Day Four: Playing House **

**Disclaimer: **Nope, Santa didn't grant my wish to own Naruto so still not mine.

**Author's note: **A new year, a new chapter! Hope that the new year brings lots of happiness and good things for everyone! Please enjoy ^-^

* * *

A small smile graced the man's features as he lovingly put the book down in its rightful spot in the bookcase. The smile quickly left his face to be replaced by a forlorn look at the sight of the empty shelf above. How he had gotten caught up in Fugaku's plan to marry off his youngest son he wasn't sure, but having worked for the Uchiha clan for so long, very little surprised him anymore. They were an eccentric bunch.

With a sigh he took one of the few Icha Icha Paradise books that had survived Fugaku's raid and left his apartment. Sasuke's apathy and Hinata's shyness sure weren't making the already overwhelming task of marrying off the youngest Uchiha son any easier. Although, he had to admit he was surprised that they had already gone on three dates. Very few of Sasuke's bridal prospects went past the omiai and he could count with one hand the ones that had gone past the first date. A tiny glimmer of hope that he might actually recover his special edition autographed books burned in his chest.

"I'll get your brothers back," he vowed to the Icha Icha Paradise Volume 7 on the passenger seat of the car as he sped through the streets, using the commute to think of strategies to accomplish his mission.

Minutes later he bumped into the subject of his ponderings in the parking lot of Uchiha Enterprises and joined him in his walk towards the imposing skyscraper. As they went through the set of glass doors of the entrance something poking out of Sasuke's pocket caught Kakashi's eye. Swiftly he reached for the object and pulled Sasuke's keys out of his pants' pocket.

"Oh my, what do we have here?" he asked examining with curiosity the set of keys that normally were held only by a silver key ring etched with the Uchiha crest. Now there was a small replica of a fountain hanging from the ring along with the rest of the keys.

"Souvenir from the museum," Sasuke answered, curtly snatching the keys from Kakashi's hand and stuffing them back in his pocket, this time making sure nothing poked out.

Kakashi sent Sasuke a curious glance, surprised that he would actually carry something so… showy, flamboyant by Sasuke's standards. Little did Kakashi know that the companion cell phone strap of the little fountain was miles away hanging from the Hyuga heiress' phone.

OoOoOoOoOo

Happiness was still evident on Hinata's face even after she had waved goodbye to Hanabi. The retelling of the previous night's adventures had earned her a pat on the back and an "about time." Even though her attempt at being more independent and bold had been a disaster, Hinata felt quite proud of herself for having had the guts to hug Sasuke. Once she had pushed her nervousness back, it hadn't been too hard. She had truly been thankful to Sasuke for all he had done for her.

Unfortunately, her happiness was short lived. Turning the corner into the main hall of the school she almost came face to face with Naruto and Sakura kissing passionately. She was able to avoid them and go unnoticed by ducking behind some students that were passing by. With clenched fists and watery eyes she made her way to the library. All she wanted was to be alone.

After avoiding a pole and getting run over twice by students rushing to class, she finally made it to the library in one piece. Glad to see it was unoccupied, she made a beeline for her favorite table that was tucked away in a corner facing a window, and sat down. She let out a sigh and looking down at her hands she noticed that someone had left a piece of paper on the table. Upon closer inspection she realized that it was an advertisement for the art exhibit that was opening that night in the school's auditorium and an idea started forming in her head. She knew that Sakura was in the organization committee so she had to be there for the opening and where Saskura went Naruto followed. Hinata choked back her tears and with a determined look on her face took out her phone.

_There's an art exhibit at my school tonight. I thought maybe you'd like to go. Let me know _:)

As she scanned her message for errors, images from the last time Sasuke had been to her school flashed in her memory and she flinched. She was about to delete the message when she looked up and caught a glimpse of Naruto's arm hooked firmly around Sakura's waist as they walked side by side outside her window. She gritted her teeth and hit send without hesitation. The craziness that was sure to ensue if Sasuke showed up was going to be worth it just to see Naruto's face when she walked in from Sasuke's arm.

She was still picturing Naruto's expression in her mind when the phone vibrating in her hand startled her. Her eyebrows creased in a small frown. She hadn't been expecting an answer so soon or an answer at all. The "OK" that stared back at her from the screen of her phone put a smile back on her lips.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sasuke put down his phone with a smirk, wondering just what Hinata would like to "try" for the day when a knock on his door distracted him from his musings.

"Come in."

The sight that greeted him once the door opened made him wish he hadn't said that. Ajinomoto, one of the supervisors from the finance department came in wringing his hands nervously and mopping his brow with a handkerchief. He was followed by a very serious looking Kakashi and an ashen faced and trembling young man that Sasuke recognized to be one of the employees from the IT department. Somewhere in the back of his mind he vaguely remembered the young man introducing himself as Kishii in a meeting. The little color that was on Kishii's face drained the second he saw Sasuke sitting behind his desk.

Sasuke sighed and braced himself. Even though he always intimidated his employees and even inspired terror in some, it usually wasn't until after he had glared at them or opened his mouth. Ajinomoto and Kishii's behavior could only mean one thing: trouble.

"Well?" Sasuke looked from one to the other urging them to tell him what was going on.

Kishii and Ajimomoto looked at each other and then pleadingly turned to Kakashi, who with a sigh decided to break the news to Sasuke. "Well, one of the servers crashed this morning."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in a clear "and?" so Kakashi continued, "it seems that we lost all the files that were in that server. I believe we had backups of everything so they have been restored, except for the Linomax bid."

"Why did we not have a backup for the bid?" asked Sasuke in deadly calm, eyeing Kishii directly.

The young man let out a squeak at Sasuke's intense gaze and took a deep breath, "w-well, sir we were doing maintenance on the main server… a-and it was just going to take a few minutes so…" he gulped, "so we didn't make a backup, s-sorry, sorry." He finished his explanation bowing profusely.

The young man looked close to tears so Sasuke decided to leave him be and move on to Ajinomoto, "I suppose we do not have a hard copy of the bid."

Ajinomoto mopped his forehead with his handkerchief. "No, sir, I do have all of the estimates and reports…"

"But we need to put together the bid from scratch," completed Sasuke massaging the bridge of his nose. Ajinomoto nodded. "Bid" was a pretty small word but it described a sixty five page document riddled with calculations, estimates, and graphs.

"Better get started on it then. Kishii," the young man looked up at being addressed by Sasuke and gulped, "make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Kishii nodded and took his leave, the color slowly returning to his face as he involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. He had expected to walk out of the younger Uchiha's office with a pink slip in his hands or in a body bag… by the looks his coworkers had given him before he went in.

Kakashi smiled at this. Sasuke's fame as an ogre was more hearsay than reality. Sasuke was intolerant of mistakes and nonsense, but he knew he had humans working for him and that mistakes were bound to be made. He would let the first mistake pass; maybe a second one, but third strike and you were out. His cool demeanor didn't do much to help with his reputation. Kakashi excused himself and followed Kishii out of the office to make sure the servers were running properly.

"Good thing I had nothing planned for this afternoon," said Ajinomoto laughing nervously now that he knew Sasuke wouldn't bite his head off.

Sasuke's eyebrows rose as realization hit him. He took out his phone and sent a message. "Yeah good thing," he cracked his knuckles and started typing.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hinata's giddiness had come back after receiving Sasuke's reply. She couldn't wait to see Sasuke in the afternoon and parade around the school with him. She could already see Naruto's expression of jealousy when the message alert in her phone brought her back from her daydreams. She slid the device open and what she saw wiped the smile clear off her face.

_Can't make it today. Have to work late. _

She had wanted so badly to make Naruto jealous, to make him feel at least a little bit the same way she did every time she saw him with Sakura. She was definitely disappointed but what was that other feeling tugging at her heart? Was it… sadness? But why? She wasn't a vengeful person. She wasn't exactly sad that she didn't get to go on with her plan. Was it because she wasn't going to see Sasuke? With a sigh she opened her locker and took out all of her things. She needed to hurry so she could catch a ride home with Hanabi, who didn't hide her surprise when she saw Hinata get in the car.

"No date today?"

Hinata shook her head. "Something came up. He has to work late."

Hanabi made a great effort to keep her comments about common guy excuses to herself since Hinata looked so upset and instead made small talk with her on the way home. Once they arrived, Hinata went straight to her room and for lack of something better to do turned on the TV. It took her a moment to realize that she had missed four episodes of her afternoon show and that was why she couldn't make sense of half of what was happening. It felt strange being home so early. As strange as their "dates" had been, she had to admit that she had gotten used to spending her afternoons with Sasuke.

She gave up on the TV and instead decided to start working on her essay. The notes she had taken the day before at the museum brought a small smile to her lips. Albeit everything that had happened it hadn't been too bad. She had really been looking forward to their date today. She had decided that tonight she would work up her courage and try holding hands with Sasuke, to shut Hanabi up. She shook her head and decided instead to focus all her attention on the computer screen in front of her.

She worked on her paper until the growling of her stomach beckoned her to go to the kitchen to find a snack. She was on her way back upstairs with an apple in her hand when a chill ran down her spine.

"You are home early," came grandmother's voice from the other end of the room as Hinata set her foot on the first step.

"H-hello, grandmother."

"How did you get home last night?" she asked, a hint of bitterness in her voice. It was obvious she was not pleased that Hinata hadn't called her back to apologize and beg for mercy.

Hinata couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Sasuke-san brought me home."

"And where is he today?" a wicked smile was pulling at the corners of grandmother's lips at Hinata's befuddled expression.

Hinata thought for a second before replying, "h-he had to work late so… I'm meeting him later."

"Where?" the woman had a knack for spotting lies and Hinata wasn't a very good liar to begin with.

"Um… well in his office. I'll m-meet him there so we can go out to dinner."

Hanabi was watching the exchange from the couch in the living room with a bemused expression on her face, secretly feeling proud of Hinata for standing her ground against grandmother. That was until…

"I will be leaving soon. I can drop you off at Uchiha Enterprises."

Grandmother's pleasant smile didn't match the steel in her eyes. It was obvious that grandmother didn't believe her. Hinata was panicking but she refused to give in. "Y-you don't h-have to. Don't worry."

"I insist."

Hinata knew that was grandmother's final response. She couldn't say no. If she did, she would know for sure that Hinata had lied and she would get in even more trouble. "I'll go get ready then. Thanks."

With heavy feet Hinata finished going up the stairs to her room. She brushed her hair and put on some lip gloss. She figured she could pretend she was going to see Sasuke and then go somewhere else to kill time for a couple of hours and then take a cab home. No big deal. All she had to do was survive the car ride with her grandmother, which most likely would include an interrogatory. With renewed confidence she took her purse, double checking that she had her wallet, and went back downstairs, where grandmother was already waiting for her.

As soon as they had settled in the car the questioning began, "how is your relationship with the Uchiha boy going?"

"Um… it's going v-very good," Hinata gulped.

She knew that the next question was very likely to be if they had set a wedding date yet since things were going so well. Fortunately grandmother's ringing phone spared her. It seemed that she was dealing with a complicated business matter because her attention was immediately absorbed by the person on the other end of the line. Throughout the ride Hinata kept looking out the window at the buildings and people rushing past, praying that grandmother wouldn't decide to come in with her to say hello to Sasuke or her plan would fall apart.

Grandma hung up the phone and was ready to restart her conversation with Hinata when the car stopped in front of an imposing building. Thanking her lucky stars that she had been spared the interrogation, Hinata hurriedly said her goodbyes and thanked grandmother before getting off the car. Keeping up the charade, she went inside the building, smiled at the receptionist and walked right back outside once she made sure grandmother's car had sped off and out of sight.

OoOoOoOoOo

Kakashi closed the door behind him with a sigh after his unofficial meeting with Fugaku. As usual he had been inquiring about the progress of Sasuke and the Hyuga heiress. The man didn't forget to remind Kakashi every time they talked of the fate of his precious books if Sasuke didn't end up married. Kakashi was a little surprised that Fugaku was pressuring more than usual. He had many times tried to get his youngest son hitched and asked for Kakashi's assistance but had never before threatened him. Kakashi figured that Sasuke was getting older and Fugaku impatient, but he was sure that the prospect of uniting the Hyuga and Uchiha companies was what drove Fugaku this time.

The silver haired man decided to take the long way back to his office through his favorite hallway, a corridor completely encased in glass that joined the two towers that comprised the Uchiha building. The openness and the magnificent view of the city it offered always helped him clear his mind and organize his ideas. With a pensive expression he leaned against the glass taking in the view while thoughts and ideas filled his brain. Because of the problem with the servers Sasuke had had to cancel his date and precious time he could be spending with Hinata had been lost.

Kakashi was thinking just how unfortunate that was and that they had to make up for the lost time when something outside caught his attention. He blinked and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't. It _was_ Hinata standing outside Uchiha Enterprises. It had to be a sign from God. He immediately ran to the elevators and slammed his hand repeatedly on the call button. He couldn't let Hinata get away. He gave up on the elevators that were taking longer than usual and instead took the stairs, running down the seven floors that separated him from the only person who could save his Icha Icha Paradise books.

Taking two and three steps at a time, he barely made it in time to stop her from getting into a cab. "Hinata-chan!"

She turned to look at him startled, "K-Kakashi-san?"

"I heard Sasuke had to cancel your date for today," he said catching his breath after his mad dash.

She nodded mortified of what her standing in front of Uchiha Enterprises even though Sasuke had cancelled their date must look like. She wanted to explain herself and make it crystal clear that she wasn't stalking Sasuke but she was having a hard time finding the right words.

"I… um I was just..." she decided it was best to not try to explain why she was there lest she put her foot in her mouth, so she simply corroborated his statement, "yes, he said something came up at work."

Kakashi nodded gravely, "yeah there was a problem with our servers. Now he has to redo a bid from scratch and it has to be ready by tomorrow morning. Poor thing has barely had enough time to eat a cold sandwich."

"That's terrible." She truly felt sorry for Sasuke.

"Yes, indeed," he sighed dramatically for effect, "and on top of the horrible day he's had at work he has to go home to an empty house and takeout or some tasteless frozen meal."

Hinata nodded slowly with a confused look in her face. She wasn't sure where Kakashi was going.

Kakashi's eyes widened as if a brilliant idea had just occurred to him. "Say Hinata-chan, you are a good cook, aren't you?"

"W-well, I know how to make some things but I'm not that good."

"Are you busy this afternoon?"

The more Kakashi spoke the more confused Hinata was. "Not really, why?"

"It's just that I was thinking that it would make Sasuke feel so much better if maybe you could take a little time off your busy schedule to cook him dinner. Poor thing has been in there all day working so hard."

"O-ok," Hinata answered before thinking. She truly did have time that afternoon and besides, the cab driver had gotten tired of waiting and had long been gone. Knowing that she hadn't really lied to grandmother also made her feel better.

Kakashi clapped his hands together in joy. "Great! You are such a kind soul. Give me just a minute while I get my briefcase and then we can go."

"Go where?"

"To Sasuke's apartment of course," he replied as if that was the most obvious course of action.

"B-but aren't we going to wait for Sasuke-san?" asked Hinata completely confused and still wondering why she had said yes so easily.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" he said with a wink before showing her to the lobby of the building and having her take a seat, discreetly asking the receptionist to not let her leave under any circumstances before he came back. He then went upstairs to his office to retrieve his briefcase, not before stopping by Sasuke's office to make sure he would go straight home after work because they had "very important matters to discuss."

Within a few minutes Kakashi and Hinata were on their way to Sasuke's condo. As usual he was a chatterbox and Hinata relaxed a little. She barely knew him and yet he always made her feel at ease. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the warmth in his eyes and his easygoing and very laidback attitude, very different from the stiff people she was usually forced to frequent because of her family.

She had been so immersed in Kakashi's conversation that before she knew it they were in front of a plain white door inscribed with an 802 in gold numbers. Kakashi rummaged briefly in his briefcase before pulling out a key and opening the door, gesturing for Hinata to go in.

Hinata walked into the ample space. She could immediately tell that it was Sasuke's place. The living room and kitchen visible from the front door were spartanly furnished, all clean lines and no clutter… or warmth anywhere.

"You live together?" assumed Hinata since Kakashi had a key.

"Not really. I live two floors down, in 604," smiled the man, "you're welcome to visit anytime. Come on, I'll show you to the kitchen."

Hinata hung her purse and jacket on the brushed nickel coat rack by the door and followed Kakashi with hesitant steps. "I-is it really ok for me to be here?"

"Of course! Now don't be shy."

She nodded and managed a nervous smile. She really couldn't picture Sasuke coming home with a big smile on his face and pleased to see her there without his invitation. Kakashi chose to ignore her uneasiness and showed her where all the pots, pans, and other utensils were so that she could start making dinner. After all, they said the way to a man's heart was his stomach. Now he only hoped that his informant's tip that she was a good cook was true and not just a father's taste buds blinded by love for his daughter.

Hinata opened the pantry to see it was almost empty but for a few cans and a stale loaf of bread. The fridge wasn't faring any better. She turned to look at Kakashi with a questioning look on her face, wondering if he was trying to pull a prank on her.

Kakashi was scratching his chin in thought. "Looks like poor Sasuke hasn't gone grocery shopping lately and we don't really have time to go either. He is going to be home soon." He thought for a couple of seconds more before his eyes widened slightly as something occurred to him. "I'll be right back. Make yourself at home," he said before closing the door behind him.

She found that hard to do. She felt like an intruder and was expecting Sasuke to come home and kick her out any minute. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen wringing her hands together when she calmed down enough to realize that the butterflies in her stomach were not just out of nervousness but excitement. She was actually in Sasuke's apartment! Her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a look around. Maybe if she saw where Sasuke lived she could learn more about him to help her on her quest to become his wife.

She went to the door and took a quick look at both sides of the hall to make sure that Kakashi wasn't coming back yet. She then walked back into the apartment and took a good look around. The open floor plan gave her a clear view of the kitchen, living room, and dining room.

A black leather sectional and a low glass coffee table occupied the living room. A couple of snowy landscapes covered one of the walls while a black and white skyline of the city during a thunderstorm covered the opposite one. Right underneath sat an electric fireplace framed in stainless steel. She absently ran her hand over the sectional as she walked back into the kitchen that was outfitted with dark walnut cabinets and black granite countertops.

After standing still for a few moments, listening for footsteps or signs of Kakashi coming back, she resumed her tour of the place. Beyond the living room she found what seemed to be a guest bedroom and a guest bathroom covered in black and gray tiles. She then gently pushed open a door that was ajar to find Sasuke's office.

Hinata was pleasantly surprised to see that bookcases replete of books lined two of the walls. She had a feeling that Sasuke truly enjoyed reading and the books were not just for show, as she had seen in other people's houses. She took note of a few of the titles in the bookcase to her right. She had read most of them. With a smile she realized that they seemed to share some of the same literary tastes. Now she had something to bring up in conversation!

She then focused her attention on the desk that stood in the middle of the room. A few books and various papers were strewn across the desktop, seemingly in a mess but she was sure Sasuke knew where every single piece of paper was if asked to locate it. She then went around the desk to stand behind the black leather chair and noticed a couple of frames standing on one of the corners of the desk. One was of what seemed to be Sasuke's graduation. An unsmiling and younger looking Sasuke was standing next to Kakashi, his father, and a man who she assumed was his older brother as he looked like an older version of Sasuke with longer hair. The picture next to it looked like it had been taken a long time ago and brought a smile to Hinata's lips. A much younger looking Fugaku Uchiha stood with his arm around the waist of a very beautiful woman with jet black hair and eyes, just like Sasuke's.

"Sasuke-san's mom," she whispered softly and then giggled at the sight of little Sasuke. He had to have been about five years old at the time the picture was taken. "So cute!"

Standing in the middle of Sasuke's office she realized that the apartment reflected Sasuke perfectly. The first impression he gave off was of stoicism and aloof coldness, just like the living room, but the further she had gone inside the house and the more she had gotten to know Sasuke the more personal touches and traces of warmth she had found.

She finally tore her gaze from the pictures on the desk to explore the last room, which she presumed had to be Sasuke's bedroom. She felt like she was prying too much but she kept telling herself that she needed to learn more about Sasuke if she ever hoped to become his wife. She swallowed and with a trembling hand reached to push open the door when she heard a noise. Startled, she withdrew her hand and hurried back to the kitchen just in time to see Kakashi coming in with both arms laden with all sorts of groceries.

She helped him settle it all down on the island. Once they were both done setting everything down, Hinata took a mental inventory of what was in front of her in addition to what was in Sasuke's pantry: a can of salmon, half a carton of eggs, a loaf of stale bread, an onion, a couple of tomatoes, half a head of lettuce, a bottle of olive oil, a box of pudding, half a gallon of milk, instant coffee, and some whipped cream.

She looked with dismay from the odd assortment in front of her to Kakashi's hopeful face and gave him a nervous smile. "Did you bring this from your apartment?" she asked for lack of anything else to say.

"Some of it, the rest I got from my next door neighbor. She is such a doll," he replied with a smile.

Hinata wasn't surprised. She could tell that Kakashi was a charmer and figured it hadn't been hard for him to get some groceries for free or nearly if the faint lipstick stain on his cheek was any indication.

Kakashi's phone rang and he excused himself to the hall while Hinata was left to figure out just what the heck she could make. She picked up the can of salmon and her eyes lit up when she noticed that there was a recipe on the back of the can. Her prayers had been answered! She looked at the assortment on the table and with relief realized that she had all of the ingredients except for the bread crumbs… maybe the stale bread would actually come in handy.

She made quick work of chopping the onion and turning the stale bread into crumbs. She then mixed the egg, salmon, onions, and the crumbs to turn them into patties that she then fried in some olive oil. While the patties fried, she whipped up a simple salad with the lettuce and the tomato. At the lack of dressing she made a simple vinaigrette with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. It wasn't exactly a gourmet salad, but what could Sasuke expect with the state his pantry and fridge were in? Since she wasn't sure Sasuke would appreciate vanilla pudding for dessert she added some of the instant coffee to make it more "grown up" and figured she could make it look less simple with a dollop of whipped cream.

When Kakashi came back in she was feeling quite proud of herself and it seemed that he agreed, "Hinata-chan, you are a miracle worker!"

Hinata blushed, "well I hope it tastes good too. I got the recipe from the can."

"I am sure it is. These hands can work miracles," he fawned, holding Hinata's hands in his. Recovering his precious books didn't seem like such a far fetched dream anymore.

And that is how Sasuke found them when he opened the door to his apartment. He was shocked and definitely not pleased to find intruders in his home. He was definitely mad; he just wasn't sure what he was angrier about: the strangers in his home obviously using his kitchen and utensils without permission or Kakashi holding Hinata's hands while she blushed like a schoolgirl. Definitely the former, he told himself.

"Sasuke, welcome home! Look at what lovely Hinata-chan made for dinner," gushed Kakashi.

"I thought there was a very important matter you had to discuss with me," said Sasuke through clenched teeth.

"Never mind that. You and Hinata-chan have a nice dinner together," he said with a wink and patting Sasuke's shoulder.

"B-but y-you are staying, r-right?" Hinata was terrified of being alone with the very angry looking Sasuke.

Kakashi had planned on leaving before Sasuke came home so that the two turtledoves could be alone but seeing the pleading look on Hinata's face he couldn't say no. He figured he would eat fast and then make up an excuse to leave them alone.

"Of course! The food looks delicious. Sasuke, go wash your hands so that we can eat," ordered Kakashi as he set up the table.

"Um… s-sorry for intruding but… it's just that…" Hinata wanted to apologize to Sasuke but she found herself tongue tied as she tried to come up with an explanation.

"This was all his idea, wasn't it?" asked Sasuke pointing at the seemingly oblivious Kakashi, who was whistling as he set the plates and silverware on the table.

She nodded and with a nervous smile said, "um… well, welcome home."

The apologetic look and the blush on her face made Sasuke forget about his anger and he felt some of the tension that had been building up all day slowly fade. He gave her a nod before washing his hands.

Minutes later the three of them were eating amid light conversation, mainly between Kakashi and Hinata with Sasuke piping in once in a while. After a while, Kakashi noticed that Sasuke was contributing a bit more to the conversation and he kept quiet to let the couple converse. To Kakashi's delight, Hinata seemed quite knowledgeable about the economy and current affairs, which gave her plenty to talk about with Sasuke. They were having dessert when Kakashi decided that it was time to insure that there was a date for the next day.

"By the way, Hinata-chan, what are you doing tomorrow night?

Hinata looked up from her pudding. "I don't really have any plans, w-why?"

"Excellent! Tomorrow night is the Uchiha Enterprises' Christmas party and young Sasuke here needs a partner. So what do you say?"

"Um well, I…" Hinata was taken aback by the invitation and turned to Sasuke with a questioning look.

"Well?" he asked with a smirk.

"S-sure."

"Great! Sasuke will pick you up tomorrow at 6 sharp."

Hinata nodded and took her phone out of her pocket to mark the event in her calendar, not that she would forget about the date and time by the next day. She just needed something to do to hide the blush on her face. As she was busy with the phone she missed the expression on Kakashi's face at the sight of the charm hanging from her phone.

"How cute. Where did you get this, Hinata-chan?" he asked holding the small fountain replica.

"Oh, this? It's a souvenir from the History Museum."

"It looks so familiar… I just can't remember where I have seen it before," he said sending Sasuke a sidelong glance and a wicked grin.

"Oh, it's a replica of the fountain at the museum. That's probably where you've seen it before," answered Hinata innocently, completely oblivious of Kakashi's intentions and the sly glances he was giving Sasuke, who was pointedly ignoring him, pretending not to know what he was hinting at.

"That must be it," he decided he wouldn't push Sasuke too much or he would end up burning the keychain. "Well, have to go. Thanks for the delicious dinner! See you both tomorrow," he said before he left the two alone with a triumphant smile and giving himself a pat on the back for a job well done. Fugaku was going to get a good report for tonight.

Once Kakashi left silence befell the couple and Hinata decided to busy herself with clearing the table and washing the dishes. When she was done she noticed that Sasuke was laying on the couch with his eyes closed. Figuring he had had a hard day and was very tired she tiptoed to the entrance to grab her jacket and purse when Sasuke's deep voice startled her and made her almost jump out of her skin.

"Where are you going?"

"Um… it's late so I'm going home."

"I'll drive you."

"No, it's ok. You are tired. I'll just call the driver and…"

Sasuke was at the door with his coat on in a matter of seconds. "I don't want to get a phone call in a couple hours to play Hinata-hunt."

Hinata nodded in defeat. The drive to the Hyuga mansion was quick. It was already past nine and the streets were pretty much deserted of daytime traffic. They were almost at Hinata's door when she suddenly made him stop the car in front of the outer gate.

"I can walk from here. Thank you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but complied, not without wondering what in the world had gotten into her. It didn't take long for him to figure out what the reason was. She was waving at someone riding a bike. Intrigued and with furrowed brows he got off the car as well.

"N-Naruto-kun, hi!" she said when the man on the bike came closer.

"Hinata! Hey…" he eyed Sasuke standing by the car and although he lowered his voice he was obviously not trying to go unheard, "do you have trouble with the Yakuza? You need help?"

Hinata shook her head negatively and introduced them. "Sasuke-san, this is Naruto-kun, a childhood friend and Naruto-kun, this is Sasuke-san. We…" she paused and after a deep breath she continued "we are going out."

"Oh, nice to meet you," he offered Sasuke a hand that the Uchiha almost didn't shake, but had to at Hinata's insistent gaze. "Take good care of her then. It was nice seeing you, Hinata!" he said before giving her a big grin and riding away.

Hinata was less than thrilled by Naruto's reaction. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but a little bit of hurt, some jealousy on his face would have been nice. She had just wanted him to feel at least a little bit how she felt every time she saw him with Sakura perched from his arm. She had been hopeful when Naruto was eyeing Sasuke suspiciously, until he found out that Sasuke wasn't with the Yakuza or trying to kidnap her.

Sasuke wasn't too thrilled with what had just happened either. He watched Naruto's retreating back with narrowed eyes. He didn't like the annoying blond or his stupid smile. There was nothing wrong with the blond in and of himself, rather the way Hinata had behaved around him. Not to mention their familiarity. Hinata's voice wishing him a good night snapped him out of his previous thoughts and he called after her.

Hinata stopped on her way to the gate of the Hyuga mansion and turned to look at Sasuke, "y-yes?"

"What are we trying for tonight?" the smirk on his face gave her goose bumps and made her all but forget about Naruto for a second.

"W-well, I… um," she thought for a second and then decided that she would continue being bold and maybe, just maybe Naruto would still be hiding around the corner watching. She walked the couple of steps that separated them, got on her tiptoes, since Sasuke was a head taller than her, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. With a crimson face she wished him a good night for a third time that night and ran inside her house.

Kakashi would have enjoyed the sight of a smiling Sasuke standing beside his car with a hand on his cheek. After all, the silver haired man had bowed that he would see Sasuke married if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

**Author's note:** Thank you very much for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! If you drop a little review on the way out I'll be forever thankful.


	7. Day Five

**Author's Note: **hey there everyone! I think I must have been a snail in a past life… I'm really sorry for the looong delay. Thank you very much for all the awesome reviews! Please enjoy the next installment of Omiai.

**Disclaimer: **Sadly me no own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

**Day Five: Deck the Uchiha Halls**

Morning light filtered through the windows and down onto the Hyuga heiress, who was stirring awake just before her alarm clock went off. As sleep left her mind all the happenings from the previous night rushed back to her memory and she couldn't help the giddiness that crawled up her stomach. She was actually going to a party with Sasuke! It was by no means a social event but she knew his father and brother would be there since it was their company's party. That had to mean something, right? At least that he wasn't ashamed to show her in public.

She stretched rubbing the sleep off her eyes and got up to select what she was going to wear that day, for school and for the party. She had texted Kakashi to find out that the party was formal, but not black tie. She wanted to impress Sasuke and her prospective in-laws, so she needed the perfect outfit. She picked her clothes for the day without a problem and then proceeded to pace up and down her walk-in closet pulling out dresses and skirts she could wear for the party. She paced and stared at her clothes for a few more minutes until the maid knocked on her door informing her that breakfast was ready and everyone was waiting for her. With a sigh she dressed hurriedly, deciding that she would leave the choosing of the party outfit for later.

When she arrived to the dining room she was greeted by the sight of her father and sister waiting for her. She apologized for her delay and they started eating in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, or food, in Hiashi's case. She didn't work out the courage to ask her father if she could skip her last class of the day until they were almost done with breakfast. For her father school was sacred and nothing but being half dead in a hospital bed was reason enough to miss a class. She took a deep breath and decided it was now or never.

"Um… father, I was wondering if… i-it's ok for me to skip my last class today?"

Hiashi's eyes widened and he immediately shifted his attention from his froot loops to his daughter. "What blasphemy have you uttered?"

She almost lost her courage seeing her father's expression but she decided to push on. "Well, you see… S-sasuke-san invited me to his company's Christmas party and I n-need some time to get ready."

Hiashi's expression changed immediately from one of shock and horror to one of bliss. "Why of course, my child! Just make sure you make up for the lost time," and then went back to finishing his cereal humming happily.

Hinata thanked her father and finished her breakfast in silence. She was still surprised that he had let her cut class, but it was understandable given his –and the whole family's– desire to see her marry into the Uchiha clan. She knew she had to try really hard. If she succeeded in marrying Sasuke she would be able to make her father proud and leave the Hyuga family with a bang.

OoOoOoOoOo

Upon his arrival to Uchiha Enterprises Sasuke was greeted by a frightening sight: Itachi and Kakashi deep in conversation wearing identical grins. Those two smiling conspiratorially never bode well. Warily, he returned their cheery good mornings with a nod and continued on his way to the elevators flanked by the pair, much to his chagrin.

"Is that a phone ringing?" said Kakashi suddenly pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Not mine."

Itachi mirrored the movement. "Mine either." He then gasped and reached in front of Sasuke as the three stood waiting for the elevator. "My, isn't that precious," he said pointing at the charm hanging from Kakashi's phone.

"Oh my God! We match!" squealed Kakashi pointing at the identical bunny charm hanging from Itachi's phone.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew Kakashi wouldn't keep his mouth shut for long. Mercifully the elevator doors opened and Sasuke walked in while the other two fawned over each other's phones clearly trying to contain their laughter.

"You two are hilarious. You should join the circus," deadpanned Sasuke.

"Will you come see our act?" asked Itachi with bright eyes.

"No," was Sasuke's answer before he closed the elevator doors in their faces.

Itachi's laughter finally died down and his wide grin turned to a pensive one as he observed the lights on the elevator change as the elevator went on its way upwards. "Do you think she's the one?"

The sudden question took Kakashi by surprise. Itachi was rarely that serious in non-business matters. He thought for a moment and then answered, "well… it's hard to tell. You know your brother. He doesn't exactly talk about his feelings. They are on their fifth date though. He already beat his own record. That's a good sign."

"Yeah," Itachi nodded pensively.

Kakashi gave Itachi a sideways glance and a slight smile as they both waited in silence for the next elevator. Itachi was one of Sasuke's harshest critics and in his pursuit of molding him to be a rightful Uchiha heir he could seem like his worst enemy at times, but Kakashi knew he cared deeply for his brother.

Meanwhile in the elevator Sasuke pondered ripping the keychain off his keys, but thought better about it. Somehow knowing that he and Hinata shared something made him feel strangely… he couldn't quite define it, but what he was sure of was that whatever that undefined feeling was, wasn't at all disagreeable. Plus he knew Itachi and Kakashi would tease him even more if he did. Let them know he couldn't care less about them poking fun at him.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hinata left school feeling very strange and half expecting guards to come running out to stop her. She still couldn't fully believe that her father had let her skip her afternoon classes. That only proved just how badly he wanted her to marry Sasuke.

As soon as she walked into her house she rushed to her closet determined to finish the task she had begun that morning but was just as unsuccessful. Of the hundreds of clothes in her closet she couldn't find anything that was special enough. She fell backwards on her bed groaning in frustration. She never had a problem finding outfits for the many social functions she was forced to attend by her family. Maybe that was because she never cared about impressing or pleasing anyone there. This time it was different. She wanted, no, _needed_ to impress Sasuke and her prospective in-laws.

She looked at her watch and figured that she still had enough time. She ran down the stairs to find the driver and asked him to take her to one of her favorite boutiques, a small dainty shop not too far from her house. She hopped off the car with her fingers crossed hoping that she would find something quickly as time wasn't on her side. Fortunately she didn't have to keep her fingers crossed for long. As soon as she walked in, a dress on a mannequin towards the back of the store caught her eye. It was a sleeveless white tiered knee-length dress with a deep purple ribbon tied around the waist in a simple bow. She loved it; it was simple and understated, yet elegant.

She made a beeline for the dress when she was hijacked by a bubbly sales lady and Hinata quickly pointed at the dress she had been eyeing.

"Isn't it beautiful? That's the last one we have left. What size were you looking for?"

Hinata's spirits fell. It figured that she would find the perfect dress and they wouldn't have her size. While she wallowed in her despair the sales lady had already pulled the dress off the mannequin and was holding it in front of her looking from the dress to Hinata. "I think it'll fit!"

Hinata's eyes lit up and she obediently followed the sales lady to the fitting room where she put on the dress and opened the curtain to take a look in the three-way mirror that stood grandly in the middle of the four fitting rooms at the back of the store. With bathed breath she looked at her reflection on the mirror to find out that the dress fit quite nicely.

"Perfect! It's like it was made for you!" chimed in the sales lady behind Hinata.

The Hyuga heiress left the store ecstatic with her purchase and rushed back home to get ready. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the maid knocked on her door announcing that her ride was downstairs. She thanked her and took a last approving look in the mirror before grabbing the silver wristlet where she had put her wallet and keys and putting on her coat.

On her way downstairs she decided to stop by her father's study to let him know she was leaving. She peeked through the half open door to see her father on the phone with his back to the door. She decided not to interrupt him and as she walked away she couldn't help but overhear part of his conversation: "I know! I can't wait to have little grandchildren running around either… why of course they'll have the Hyuuga eyes, the Uchiha genes are not the only strong genes out there!"

She could still hear his giggles as she went downstairs and did her best not to let his expectations make the weight on her shoulders feel heavier. Fortunately, her pounding heart and vivid imagination didn't let her dwell on it too much. The cliché scene of the girl coming down the stairs looking dazzling and the guy standing at the foot of the stairs staring in awe at her beauty was playing in her head. Her heart was beating faster with every step she took until it dropped to the pit of her stomach when she saw not Sasuke but Kakashi waiting for her with his usual smile and the "you look beautiful!" she had been hoping for.

Even though she did her best to keep the smile on her face he must have somehow caught her disappointment because he told her with a wink, "you'll see him soon. Something came up and he couldn't come, but he'll be at the party."

She nodded and gave him a smile as she took the arm he offered. After a short ride they arrived at the doors of Uchiha Enterprises. The lobby looked just like it had the day before, maybe just a little more festive. She did notice that now garland ran along the walls in addition to the poinsettias she had seen adorning the front desk the afternoon before during her brief stay. She followed Kakashi through a wide hallway into a vast meeting room that had been outfitted as a party hall. A podium and a magnificent Christmas tree stood towards the front of the room while small round tables were arranged to the sides leaving a clear area in the middle presumably to be used as a dancing floor later in the evening.

There was a flurry of activity in the room and the tables were steadily filling up with employees and guests. Hinata was still standing next to Kakashi fidgeting with the strap of her wristlet as she didn't know anyone else when a man of about Kakashi's age with dark hair and a bowl cut bounded over to them.

"Kakashi! I didn't know you were bringing a date. Very beautiful," he said giving Hinata a full-on smile that she returned awkwardly, taken aback by the man's misunderstanding and the fact that she could have sworn she saw his teeth sparkle. "You old dog," he continued, squeezing Kakashi's shoulder, "isn't she a little young for you?"

"You and your keen observations, Guy," said Kakashi sarcastically. "I was actually just charged with bringing Hinata-chan here. She's Sasuke's date."

"Ah, young Sasuke is one lucky man! But where are my manners? The name is Guy. A pleasure meeting you," he said offering her a hand that she shook in return.

"Hinata Hyuga, nice to meet you," she said quietly, a blush dusting her cheeks. She wasn't used to all the compliments. Usually all the events her family forced her to attend were full of stuffy people, too busy trying to one-up everyone else in the room or just interested in increasing their fortunes to pay anyone a compliment, at least one that sounded genuine. Even though she was blushing she didn't feel uncomfortable. This man's eyes were just as warm as Kakashi's and soon she felt at ease with the two of them, laughing at their banter and the stories of their rivalry since they were children.

That is how Sasuke saw them from afar as he entered the hall and the twinge of annoyance he always felt when he saw Hinata with Kakashi made its appearance. It irked him to no end to see her so relaxed around Kakashi when she was so tense and nervous around him. Now she was all buddy-buddy with Guy too!

His mood didn't improve when he noticed her body tensing up and her fingers twiddling nervously in front of her as soon as she saw him coming towards them. His exasperation, however, didn't last too long when he took in Hinata's appearance. She looked beautiful. Sadly, his appraisal of her didn't last long because Guy interrupted him with his congratulations on having such a lovely companion. Kakashi had to drag him away so that the love doves could have a moment alone and so that Sasuke would introduce her to all the guests.

The couple proceeded to make the rounds of the party. Actually more like different people approached them to say hello to Sasuke and his "lovely guest," whom he plainly introduced as "Hinata Hyuuga." At this she didn't know if she should feel sad or relieved that he didn't introduce her as just a "friend." Maybe she wasn't important enough to bother classifying? She shook her head and decided that it was better not to think about it.

She could barely keep track of all the people that were introducing themselves until a short, older gentleman with a full head of white hair who looked like a grandpa out of a storybook effusively hugged Sasuke.

"My boy! Who is this lovely young woman?" At Sasuke's response, the man's eyes twinkled and his full attention turned to Hinata. "So you are the new writer Sasuke discovered? Kakashi said you'd be here," he said shaking Hinata's hand warmly.

Hinata blinked, not sure she had heard right. "E-excuse me?"

"Oh dear, where are my manners? I am Sakuraba-sensei. I have been tutoring Uchihas for a third of my life and looking for new literary talents twice as long." Hinata was so perplexed, she merely stared at him. He didn't seem to mind or care much as he continued on, "I have been reading some of your work Sasuke sent me and it's very good. I would like to see some more but for now I think _Raindrops_ would be perfect for the next issue of our _Young Talents _magazine."

Hinata turned around looking for the hidden camera and then to Sasuke, who, with his silence seemed to corroborate that the jolly old man wasn't joking. Sasuke had to contain himself to not laugh at the "someone pinch me" look on Hinata's face.

After exchanging contact information and a warm handshake with Hinata, Sakuraba-sensei excused himself to go talk to some of the other guests. Hinata dazedly watched the white head walk away and mingle into the crowd until it disappeared from her sight. She then turned to look at Sasuke with a "did that just happen?" look on her face. Was she really getting published? Was her dream finally going to become a reality?

Thanks to his iron discipline, Sasuke didn't burst out laughing at Hinata's expression, instead he nonchalantly said, "yes, he was real."

Hinata's face split into a bright smile and a "thank you! Thank you!" spilled from her lips.

As much as Sasuke wanted to take all the credit and keep all of Hinata's gratitude to himself, he was an honest man. "It was Kakashi. He told Sakuraba about you."

"I know, but Sakuraba-sensei said you had sent him some of my work... how did you...?"

"Your father. He was very happy to email me copies of your work."

Deciding to push to the back of her mind the thought that her father had been going through her things, again (in order to insure the safety and wellbeing of his daughters, or so he said, he periodically conducted inspections of their rooms while they were in school), she let happiness overtake her. It was a sign that her father didn't disapprove of her being a writer. As head of the family he wasn't allowed to encourage her openly, so this was his way of telling her. She had to give him a big hug when she got home.

She was also happy that Sauke had helped forward her writing to Sakuraba-sensei. It meant he wasn't opposed to her being a writer either. _One less thing to worry about if we get married_, she thought happily until another thought crossed her mind. Maybe he did it because since he wasn't going to marry her he couldn't care less what she did with her life. She decided to stop the negative thoughts on their tracks and instead focus on the wonderful news she had just received: she was going to be published! In a magazine, but published nonetheless! That could open many doors for her. And was she imagining things or had that been a smile playing on Sasuke's lips at her stunned expression? She couldn't be happier.

She was soon pulled from her musings by a flurry of movement of people sitting down and Guy's cheerful voice saying it was "dinner time" and "plenty of chairs over here" while patting the chairs at either side of him inviting her and Sasuke to his table.

"Can't imagine why," murmured Sasuke sarcastically as he made his way towards the table, not quite as begrudgingly as he made it sound. He'd rather sit with bowl cut than with Itachi, his father, and the other executives. If they didn't have Uchiha Enterprises in common, Sasuke was sure they would have nothing else to talk about.

Hinata followed suit, delighted to see Kakashi at the same table. She wanted to thank him too. When they arrived to the table, it took her a moment to realize that Sasuke wasn't just standing behind a chair pondering where to sit. He had actually pulled a chair for —she looked behind her to make sure no one else was there— her! She sat down, her cheeks tinting at the gesture, and gave him a small smile and a thank you while Kakashi watched in delight. Sasuke was definitely warming up to Hinata.

"Thank you very much, Kakashi-san, for telling Sakuraba-sensei about me."

"Don't mention it. Sasuke did all the work anyways. I just happened to mention your name. So, did he give you good news?"

A bright smile lit Hinata's face as she nodded, "he wants to publish one of my poems in a magazine."

"Oh so you are a writer?" asked Guy as waiters began to bring plates of salad to the tables.

Hinata blushed. "Not really, I only write in my spare time."

"You're writing, so that makes you a writer," replied Sasuke with a playful smirk.

"I guess," she couldn't help the giggle escaping her lips.

The rest of the dinner transpired amid friendly chatter and as dessert was being served one of the top executives walked up to the podium to address the guests. He started with the usual pleasantries and thanked all of the employees for their work while celebrating the many successes of the past year. Hinata had almost tuned him out completely as she enjoyed the last half of her chocolate cake when her ears perked up at the mention of the company's chief financial officer.

"I want to give special thanks to our chief financial officer, Sasuke Uchiha, for all his hard work. We owe much of our success to his hard work and dedication. Our profits increased by 20% this past year thanks to his wise investments and cost saving strategies." At this the crowd broke into excited applause.

Hinata excitedly turned to look at Sasuke. He didn't look elated, but then again Hinata would have driven him to the emergency room if he had, but she could tell he was happy and she was very happy for him as well. "Congratulations, Sasuke-san!"

To his own surprise he found himself replying with a quiet thank you. Usually he brushed off people's congratulations and praise since he knew most of the time they didn't mean it, but he could tell Hinata was sincere. Her simple congratulation meant more than all the applause filling the room.

As the applause died down, the speaker finished his speech and the guests were left to finish their desserts. Hinata was working on the last bite of hers when she saw two black haired men walking towards their table. They looked very familiar. She couldn't quite place them but she was certain she had seen them before… but where? And then it finally hit her as they were warmly greeting her.

"Hinata-chan!"

"U-Uchiha-sama," she choked out as she nervously returned Fugaku and Itachi Uchiha's handshakes.

"You're even prettier in person, dear," Fugaku said as he took the vacant seat next to Hinata while Itachi stood behind him nodding in agreement.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke grumbled from Hinata's left.

"We got tired of waiting for you to introduce lovely Hinata to us," Fugaku said with a pout that she almost mirrored. She had been wondering all night if Sasuke was ever going to introduce her to his family. A part of her was relieved that she didn't have to meet them and thus avoiding possibly embarrassing herself in front of her prospective in-laws, but another part of her was sad that perhaps Sasuke didn't deem her worthy of an introduction.

Fugaku shook her from her reveries by waving a mini album that he had pulled from his jacket's pocket. "Do you want to see my adorable grandchildren?" Without waiting for an answer he opened the album to reveal several pictures of three beautiful children with the signature Uchiha jet black hair and eyes.

"They're adorable," she said with a smile.

"Just like their dad," said Itachi with a wink. "Was that a snort, Sasuke? I'll have you know Midori fully agrees with me."

"Is that why she's here hanging from your arm?" replied Sasuke dripping sarcasm.

"No, little Midori had a fever so she stayed home," he said indignantly.

Hinata and Fugaku watched the exchange in amusement and then returned their attention to the album. Fugaku continued flipping the pages until he got to the blank pages towards the middle. "These are reserved for Sasuke's children," he told her with a wink and Hinata's face turned cherry at what Fugaku was implying. "Hiashi swears the children will have the Hyuuga eyes but I just know the Uchiha eyes will win," he continued naturally as if Hinata and Sasuke's marriage was written on stone. That explained who her dad had been talking to earlier that day when he was giggling like a high school girl.

"And that would be why you don't get introduced to anyone," grumbled Sasuke.

Fugaku graced his son with another pout and promptly turned to Hinata, mini album in hand to no doubt discuss possible baby names when a couple of older gentlemen stopped by their table.

"Sasuke, good job!" said one of the men, to which Sasuke responded with a nod.

"Yes, good job," added the second gentleman. "You are on your way to being as good as Itachi."

"Indeed! Remember, how Itachi secured that multi-million dollar contract on his first week at Uchiha Enterprises?"

Hinata couldn't believe her ears, the nerve of these men! They couldn't just pay a compliment. They had to go and make a comparison and how she hated comparisons. She turned to look at Sasuke to see he was the picture of composure. At first sight he looked like he couldn't care less but his fingers curling into loose fists and his perma-scowl deepening just a fraction gave his true feelings away. She wanted to kick the old men on the shins and tell them to shut up when music started playing in the background and she was spirited away by Guy to the dance floor. "Hinata-chan, please help me show Kakashi here who the best dancer is!"

After four dances, two with each competitor, she was finally free to sit back down and catch her breath. She wasn't too surprised to see that Sasuke wasn't at their table. She was worried about him. She knew too well what it felt like to be compared to others. After looking around the room fruitlessly she finally asked, "Kakashi-san, have you seen Sasuke-san?"

"Probably in his office. Fifth floor second door to the left when you get off the elevator," he replied with a wink.

Hinata took that as permission to go look for him, trying to overlook the fact that it was Sasuke's and not Kakashi's permission she needed to go after him. He probably just wanted to be alone, but she didn't think it was fair that he would be upset by something those men had said. Perhaps he wasn't even upset; maybe she was just projecting her feelings onto him, having been treated like that for most of her life.

She went up the elevator and with Kakashi's directions had no trouble finding Sasuke's office. She saw the door ajar and peeked inside to make sure it was the right one. She knocked softly on the door before letting herself in. She'd normally wait to be told to come in but since the door was as good as open and she was worried about him she summoned some courage and walked in hoping he wouldn't kick her out. She found him standing next to his desk looking out the window.

"Um... Sasuke-san... don't listen to those guys. They have no right to belittle your accomplishments," she said in one breath before she lost the little bit of courage that the indignation in her chest had given her and before he could turn around and tell her to leave him alone.

Sasuke felt someone come in and, thinking it was Kakashi barging in as usual, was about to tell him to go away when he heard Hinata's shy voice. Then the annoyance he felt when he thought it was Kakashi was replaced by anger. Who did she think she was to pity him? He turned around to tell her off but stopped mid-breath when he saw the expression on her face.

"I don't understand why people feel the need to make comparisons instead of just celebrating an accomplishment," she continued quietly, looking at the wall.

"Speaking from personal experience?" It was more a statement than a question.

She nodded slowly and met his gaze for a second before returning it to that very interesting spot she had found on the wall, "my younger sister is a genius. She is truly amazing. Everything she does is perfect, so no matter what I do I can never measure up to all of her accomplishments. I really love and admire her, but I wish people would see me for who I am and for what I've done."

As he heard Hinata voice exactly what was in his head, he remembered the words of one of the poems that had been in the file Hinata's father had sent him.

_Silent tears  
__Suffering in silence for your love  
__Feel my gaze  
__Longingly looking for your attention… _

_If you could get to know me  
__If you could see inside of me  
__Maybe you would understand  
__That I am not invisible _

_Eyes that can't see  
__A heart that wants to be,  
__That begs  
__Can't you see?  
__That I am not invisible_

_I am like the nothingness  
__I don't have to disappear  
__I feel like you are killing me  
__That even when you see me  
__You don't want to look at me  
__That even face to face you won't look at me_

_If you could get to know me  
__If you could see inside of me  
__Maybe you would understand  
__That I am not invisible _

He had liked most of her works, but this one had struck a chord with him. It was as if it had been written for him. Now he knew why. He and Hinata were on the same boat, both of them trying to move from under the shadow of a sibling; trying to get their families to acknowledge them.

"Yeah," he said after a moment of silence.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief at Sasuke's response. She was worried that she had upset him comparing his situation to her pathetic one. After all, he was a lot stronger than her and she was sure that he would one day outshine his brother. As for her, she wasn't too sure.

"So what are we trying for today?"

Sasuke's voice brought her out of her musings with a start. "E-excuse me?"

"What boyfriend-girlfriend thing are we trying for today?" he asked with a smirk plastered on his face and amusement dancing in his eyes at her reaction.

"Why do I always have to come up with something?"

"It was your idea."

"Right," she answered in defeat.

She was racking her brain thinking of what they could try when she heard Sasuke mutter, "fine, my turn." She was still processing in her head what he had said when she felt Sasuke's arms encircle her from behind.

Sasuke almost let go of her when he felt her stiffen at his touch but then she immediately relaxed and leaned back on his chest, grabbing his arm from below. He then tightened his hold on her and rested his chin on top of her head. He didn't know how long they had been like that but he was sure it hadn't been long enough when Kakashi barged in and interrupted them.

Both of them let go of each other instantly as if they had been scorched by the other. Kakashi was torn between wanting to shoot himself for interrupting such a moment and wanting to jump on one foot in happiness at the progress being made. However, he used all of his self-control to act as if he hadn't seen anything. If he made a big deal about it, he knew Sasuke would just put his walls back up and distance himself from Hinata.

"Your father is looking for you. Marukawa's CEO actually made it and would like to discuss your bid."

Sasuke nodded. On his way to the door, he paused and looked at Hinata. "This will probably take a while."

"Don't worry, I can call my driver to pick me up," she replied, still too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

"Nonsense! I'll take you home, Hinata-chan. Sasuke can make it up to you tomorrow," he said with a wink wrapping an arm around her shoulders and watching with delight Sasuke's brows furrow slightly. Oh yes, things were progressing satisfactorily. Getting his books back didn't seem so farfetched anymore.

"OK. Good night then," he said and left the office.

"Good night. See you tomorrow," said Hinata, suddenly realizing that they hadn't decided where to go, but it was too late. Sasuke was already gone.

Kakashi seemed to read her mind, "just meet him up at his house and you can decide where to go from there."

"Good idea. Thanks."

She followed him back to the hall in high spirits. The Uchihas were nowhere to be found, no doubt already behind closed doors discussing business. She did get to say good bye to Guy, who made her promise that wouldn't be the last time they'd get together. After all, she just had to see how much better than Kakashi he was in karaoke.

Once home, Hinata found herself humming happily while putting on her pajamas and brushing her teeth. It had been an amazing night. Her work was getting published and she felt she had gotten closer to Sasuke. Yes, this night was definitely going down in history as one of the best nights of her life.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hinata's poem is a translation of "Invisible" by Jesse & Joy. That was day 5. Please stay tuned for the next one!

Reviews are always welcome


	8. Day Six

**Author's Note: **hey there everyone! Finally here it is: the next installment of Omiai! Thank you very much for all the awesome reviews! I can't always get back to everyone but please know that your reviews are very much appreciated! I'll shut up now. Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Naruto or any of its characters… I've been a good girl this year maybe Santa Claus can do something about it!

* * *

**Day Six: Supermarket Sweep**

Kakashi hung up the phone with a satisfied smile. He wasn't surprised at the early phone call on a Saturday. He had been expecting it since Fugaku hadn't called him the night before to inquire on the progress of Sasuke and Hinata's relationship. He was actually surprised he hadn't woken him up in the middle of the night. Negotiations must have gone on for longer than expected the night before and judging by Fugaku's sunny attitude they had gone well.

He had just brightened Fugaku's day even more by informing him that things between the "doves" (Sasuke and Hinata's code name for the mission) were going very well. Kakashi, however, had kept the details of what he had seen in Sasuke's office to himself. The last thing he needed was for Fugaku to slip up and for the information to reach Sasuke's ears and derail the progress made so far. He had to be very careful so that Sasuke wouldn't put his slowly crumbling walls back up with Hinata. And he did respect people's privacy... a little, once in a while.

He stretched and went on his morning jog with an extra lightness in his step. When he got back he took a shower and then made his way to the kitchen to make coffee and toast. He then sat comfortably in his living room to read the morning's newspaper. He read for a while until he figured it was no longer an ungodly hour to text Hinata and ensure things kept going in the right direction.

_Morning! What time r u meeting Sasuke 2day?_

He was surprised at the quick reply.

_I'll text him later to see if we can meet. He's probably still tired from yesterday._

_No way! Just meet him home. He's an early riser! Besides he has work later 2day. U remember how to get there?_

He knew Sasuke had had a late night but if he let Hinata wait until she thought he was up, precious hours would be lost. They had foreign investors that they needed to entertain later that afternoon. Therefore he needed to act quickly to make sure they spent some time together. That and he didn't want to give Sasuke or her the smallest opportunity to skip the date.

_I remember thx! I'll leave in a little while :)_

_Have fun!_

He put the phone down with a smile sending a hopeful glance to his bookcase.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hinata got dressed right after her conversation with Kakashi and went downstairs to an empty dining room. Most Saturdays they skipped their family breakfast since Hiashi liked to sleep in and it seemed that today wasn't an exception. She continued on to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of milk and half of a blueberry muffin. It wouldn't do to have a big breakfast in case Sasuke wanted to go somewhere for brunch.

She was in the middle of her breakfast when Hanabi came in from her morning run. She grabbed a glass of water and sat across from Hinata on the kitchen's island, "morning."

"Hey," Hinata returned her greeting with a smile.

"So how are things going with your beau?"

Hinata's smile widened. "Very well, thank you." She refrained from giving her too many details as the last time she had Hanabi had told her to get serious and she didn't want her to know they still hadn't held hands. "I'm meeting him in a little bit."

"For your _date_? Where are you going today? To build sand castles for orphaned crabs?" Hanabi teased her. She was quite amused at Hinata's definition of progress and what she considered a date.

"Shut up," said Hinata throwing the other half of the muffin to Hanabi, who caught it effortlessly in her right hand.

"I'm going to take a shower. Good luck," she winked at her sister and took a bite of the muffin as she walked away snickering.

Hinata sighed and shook her head. Where did Hanabi get off making fun of her? As far as Hinata knew, she wasn't that much more experienced than her in the dating department. At least not that she knew, and thinking better of it, she didn't want to know.

She finished her breakfast and put her dishes in the sink before going upstairs to grab her things. _Now or never_, she thought to herself before she greeted the driver and got in the back seat of the car. She still felt a little uneasy about just showing up without actually talking to Sasuke first, but she was finding out that things didn't work out too badly when she just took the plunge. She had to thank Kakashi for that.

She rode the rest of the way to Sasuke's place with her eyes closed and taking calming breaths. Slowly, her memories drifted back to the previous night and the butterflies in her stomach went wild. By the time she stepped out of the car a smile had lit up her face.

The smile progressively dimmed the closer she got to Sasuke's door. Nervousness was winning over again. She pushed forward and only hesitated for a few seconds in front of the door marked with an 802 before knocking, slowly at first and then a little louder at not receiving an answer. With every passing minute her spirits fell more. She should have called him first. He had probably gone out or… she didn't dare think it, he didn't want to let her in. She was about to turn around when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway and saw Kakashi clad in a pair of green sweatpants walking towards her.

"Hinata-chan! What's up?"

She gave him a shaky smile, "I don't think he's home."

"We'll find out," he said brandishing his spare with a grin.

"M-maybe we shouldn't," started Hinata with wide eyes. She already felt like she had intruded too much by showing up unannounced.

Her feeble protest fell on deaf ears as Kakashi turned the key and practically shoved Hinata inside before she had a chance to run. Once inside she stopped about a foot short of colliding with Sasuke's very naked chest. He merely blinked at her as he stood in front of the door with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and water still dripping from his dark locks. He didn't need an explanation after seeing Kakashi coming in behind her.

She squeaked, her face burning, and promptly turned around covering her eyes with her hands. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence to apologize. She made a run for the door but Kakashi got there first and shut the door behind him with a "have fun, kids!"

Hinata would have attempted to run behind him but she had a feeling that he was going to be waiting for her at the end of the hall to block her escape. She was starting to suspect that maybe Kakashi's appearances weren't mere coincidences. She stood rooted to the spot listening to the sound of footsteps walking away on the marble floors of the hallway and of Sasuke's bare feet padding on the hardwood floors towards his bedroom to get dressed, she hoped.

After a couple minutes she heard Sasuke come back. "You can turn around. I'm decent now." She could hear the amusement in his voice.

She turned slowly to see he was fully clothed in a pair of dark pants and a dark gray sweater. She was more relaxed since he hadn't screamed at her but still didn't dare look him in the eye.

"Um h-hello. I'm really, really sorry," she bowed.

"Hn. I would change the locks but he'll just find another way to get in."

He didn't seem angry, so she smiled sheepishly and for lack of something better to say she asked, "d-did you eat breakfast yet?"

"No," he replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I could make something," she offered going towards the kitchen.

It wasn't that she was a great cook or she wanted to impress him with her cooking. She just wanted something to busy herself with rather than just standing there in front of Sasuke with his stupid little smirk at her earlier reaction. He might be used to parading around half naked in his own house but she wasn't used to seeing half naked men suddenly appear in front of her. Although she supposed that's what you got for barging into someone's house.

She opened the pantry and the fridge to see that they were in just a deplorable a state as they had the last time she had been in his kitchen. "Haven't gone grocery shopping yet, huh?" she sighed to herself.

"I've been kind of busy these past few afternoons with this girl. Let's go," he said grabbing his wallet and keys.

She followed him down the hallway and into the elevator and back onto the lobby where she noticed a small café tucked into a corner of the building. It wasn't that early but quite a few of the little round tables were still occupied. They found a table towards the back, away from a group of teenage girls that exploded in a fit of giggles and blushing at the sight of Sasuke. Hinata would have rolled her eyes at them but she had been reduced to a similar state herself not too long ago.

They sat down and glanced at the menu for a moment before placing their orders and waiting in silence for their food. As usual Sasuke seemed in no hurry to start a conversation, so Hinata figured it was up to her. Thankfully it was starting to get a bit easier the more time she spent with him.

"Um... so how did it go yesterday with your bid?"

"We're signing a contract."

"That's great. Good job!"

"I guess," he shrugged, his eyes fixed on a spot on the wall behind Hinata.

With memories of their talk the previous night still fresh in her mind, she ventured to read into his demeanor. Plus she knew firsthand how big business families operated.

"D-do you always need to ask for approval before making decisions?" she asked tentatively, worried that she was reading too much into his words and she would offend him.

He turned to look at her. "Not always. Just last month Itachi let me select all the printers for my floor all on my own," he said sarcastically.

"Well that's a start," she replied with a sympathetic smile.

A moment later the waiter arrived with their food and Sasuke promptly began working on his omelet while Hinata dove into her strawberry and banana crepes. They ate mostly in silence. Surprisingly, she realized she didn't mind the silence so much anymore. Their silences were slowly becoming less awkward. She realized that they weren't big talkers and Hinata was beginning to just enjoy Sasuke's company.

By the time Sasuke asked for the check and she took the last bite of her crepes Hinata had to resist the urge to rub her contented belly. She had to admit that those had been some of the best crepes she had ever had. They just had to come back. Next time she'd probably try the Nutella crepes and the waffles the guy one table over had ordered looked delicious too.

"Where to?" asked Sasuke, bringing her back from her sugar induced reverie.

She thought for a moment. "Um… what about grocery shopping?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "S-so that you can't blame your lack of food on me."

"Whatever," he said with a shrug.

They left the café and took the elevator down to the parking garage to get Sasuke's car. The store wasn't too far but walking back with armloads of groceries wasn't exactly practical.

Hinata used the short ride to gather all her courage and as soon as they got out of the car she said, "I-I know what I want to try for today."

Sasuke turned to look at her with raised eyebrows. He always had to prod her to come up with something. In response Hinata merely held her right hand out to him. Puzzled, he stared at her hand and it took him a few seconds to realize what she wanted.

"Hold hands? What are you, five?"

"Boyfriends and g-girlfriends d-do that," she replied defensively, her cheeks starting to color but still holding her hand out to him.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes and took her hand in his.

She couldn't help the smile that crawled up her face as she thought triumphantly, _take that, Hanabi! _

They crossed the parking lot hand in hand until they entered the store and Sasuke let go to grab a cart. He figured it would be kind of awkward to shop while holding hands plus Hinata's face kept getting redder and redder the more people they bumped into whether they looked at them or not.

Following Sasuke's lead, they made their way to the bakery section where they were soon enveloped by the smell of fresh baked bread and cookies. Sasuke was watching Hinata looking curiously at the wide array of breads in front of them when something occurred to him, "have you even been in a grocery store before?"

He knew very well the kind of lives people of their social status lived. She snapped her attention back from the wonderfully smelling baguettes in front of her at his question and answered with a nod, "I-I went grocery shopping with Naruto-kun a couple times."

Her lips curled into a smile as she remembered that the sections of the store she was most familiar with were the noodle and clearance aisles. Even after all that had happened she had to admit that most of her memories of Naruto were fond ones.

She reached for a loaf of bread of the same kind she had seen at Sasuke's house a couple nights ago and held it in front of him questioningly. After he nodded his approval she put the bread in the cart and continued browsing the cake displays completely oblivious of the way Sasuke's expression had darkened at the mention of Naruto. He really didn't like that dumb blonde.

"So no housekeeper?" she asked seconds later following his previous train of thought.

"I have two hands," was his simple answer as he pushed the cart towards the produce section.

"I'm surprised they let you leave the Uchiha house," she mused more to herself still following close behind. She knew perfectly well how old families like theirs were. Their manors were big enough so that even after marriage the children stayed with the family. If she tried to move out before getting married, the Hyugas would really disown her and her father… well he wouldn't take it very well. A crying fit would be guaranteed and she wouldn't count out a heart attack.

"You think I chose Kakashi as my neighbor?" he answered, carefully picking apples from the bin in front of him.

So that had been the condition to let him live on his own. Although she didn't doubt Sasuke would do whatever he wanted whether his family approved or not. They had probably reached that compromise because Sasuke respected his father and wanted his recognition, not to break away from the family.

They continued their round of the produce section, Hinata just hovering near Sasuke not daring to touch anything. She had no idea how to pick fruits and vegetables. She was surprised at the ease with which Sasuke examined items before putting them back into the bins or in a bag and in the cart.

"Just like a housewife…" Hinata didn't realize she had thought out loud until Sasuke paused to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"S-sorry," she said, her cheeks tinting. "I j-just never thought you w-would be so… so d-domestic."

Sasuke let out a small laugh shocking Hinata even more. A smile brightened his face and she quickly committed the image to memory knowing that the chances of hearing him laugh again were very low.

"I had to undergo training before I was allowed to dismiss the housekeeper and chef," he explained, the smile gone as suddenly as it had appeared, but amusement still lingering on his features.

He then patiently passed his knowledge on to the eager Hinata. He doubted she would need the knowledge or that she would start going grocery shopping but her readiness to learn just showed how much she wanted to be independent. He could definitely identify with that.

After the lesson they grabbed cereal, milk, yogurt, and lunch meat before making their way to the registers, where the very friendly cashier shamelessly flirted with an oblivious Hinata until he caught Sasuke's glare from behind her. On their way out Hinata almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Sasuke's hand slip into hers while he pushed the cart with his other arm. She recovered quickly from the shock and squeezed his hand back, getting red up to her ears.

They carried the grocery bags up the elevator and into Sasuke's kitchen, where they settled in a comfortable silence. They had been putting away the groceries working around each other for a few minutes when the front door burst open allowing in a grinning Kakashi.

"Hello kids! Hope we aren't interrupting anything," called Kakashi in the direction of Sasuke's bedroom, not noticing the two of them standing in the kitchen.

"Oh youthful bliss," said an equally grinning, teeth-glinting Guy, who came in behind Kakashi.

"Um… hello," squeaked Hinata from her spot in the kitchen, mortified that they would get the wrong idea.

"There you are!" said Kakashi eyeing the few groceries left on the counter as well as the telltale grocery bags. "Playing house I see," he grinned, not showing an ounce of remorse or shame for what had happened earlier that morning.

"What are you doing here?" grumbled Sasuke finishing to put away the last of the groceries in the pantry.

"The Russian investors arrived a bit earlier than anticipated and we have the first shift entertaining them. Itachi's taking over tomorrow," answered Kakashi.

Sasuke nodded reluctantly, to his surprise. He was kind of disappointed to have his time with Hinata cut short. He quickly corrected himself. He wasn't disappointed. He was annoyed that Kakashi and bowl cut had barged into his house. Yes that was it.

Hinata took that as her cue to leave and went over to the coat rack by the door. "I should go then."

"I am in charge of picking up the investors from their hotel. I can drop lovely Hinata off on the way there," piped in Guy.

"Sure if it's not too much trouble," replied Hinata with a smile picking up her purse and jacket. She then turned to Sasuke wringing her jacket in her hands, "Um… s-see you tomorrow?"

Sasuke nodded. Hinata really didn't want to repeat the experience from the morning. "S-should we meet somewhere? There's that park near here…"

"Ok."

"See you tomorrow then," she said as she waved goodbye to Kakashi, who waved back with his usual grin, but deep inside was giddy as a teenage girl at the progress being made. Just a couple of days ago he wouldn't have dreamed the two of them getting along so well.

"Let's be off then," Guy promptly offered his arm to Hinata and escorted her to his car chatting the whole way. It was so easy to feel comfortable around him that time flew by and she didn't realize they had arrived until he stopped the car at her front door.

After thanking Guy and seeing him off, she went up to her room intent on getting some homework done. She still had to write the paper about the ledgers she had seen at the History Museum.

She had just pulled out her notes and sat at her desk in front of the computer when Hanabi poked her head in. "Back already?"

"Yeah. Sasuke-san had some investors to entertain… we held hands today!" she burst suddenly, surprising herself. She just wanted Hanabi to know that she was making some progress and she couldn't deny that she was excited too.

Hanabi bit her tongue to not make fun of Hinata for being so excited about holding hands. She just looked so happy. She hadn't seen her older sister glow like that in a very long time. It made her think that maybe for once her dad was actually right and Sasuke could be the one. Hinata's happiness was so contagious, that Hanabi found herself hugging Hinata until someone clearing their throat by the door reminded her of what she had come to Hinata's room for.

"Hey." Neji greeted from the doorway.

"Hi!" Hinata returned the greeting. "Council meeting?"

He nodded as he came in and sat down on the bed next to Hanabi, facing Hinata. "Haven't talked to you for a while. How are things going with you?"

"I'm doing fine," she answered, not sure where Neji was going. She had an inkling of what he wanted to talk about but she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. Her talks with Neji tended to be very similar to those she had with Hanekoma-sensei. "How about you and Tenten?"

"Hinata, you don't have to do this," he cut to the chase. He had been meaning to talk to Hinata since he found out about her omiai with Sasuke Uchiha but hadn't had the chance. "If you don't want to be here you can come live with Tenten and me."

It was a very tempting offer. She knew she would be safe with Neji and he wouldn't stop her from becoming a writer or whatever she wanted to be. And she was really good friends with his wife, Tenten. He had offered before but she had declined for Neji and Tenten's sake. She didn't want to cause another rift in the family. The Hyuga elders were just beginning to accept Tenten after forbidding Neji from seeing her since she didn't belong to an aristocratic family.

Neji had never been one to bow down to anyone and married Tenten without the elders' approval. Neji had been cut off from the family and banned from all Hyuga properties until the elders realized that he was too self-sufficient and very much in love to give in to their pressure. Since it would be a greater scandal to disown such a successful member of the family than to accept a pauper into the family they asked him to come back.

Neji accepted under the condition that they respected his wife. Very begrudgingly, the elders complied and thus Tenten had become a Hyuga. She still wasn't allowed to attend the most traditional family functions but for the most part they were civil to her.

Had Neji asked her five days ago when she had been so desperate she probably would have finally gave in and said yes but now, after spending time with Sasuke she wanted to keep going. Her future with him didn't look so bleak anymore.

"You don't have to marry someone you barely know just because they're telling you to," continued Neji at Hinata's silence.

"I know, but Sasuke-san is a good person. I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about me," she said with a smile that she hoped convinced him that she was serious.

Neji was about to retort when one of the maids knocked on the door to let him know the short recess from the meeting was over and his presence was required.

He shot Hinata a dubious look. "Anything you need let me know."

"I know. Thanks."

Hanabi squeezed Hinata's shoulder and walked out with Neji. "I haven't seen her this happy since you know who," she offered once they were out of Hinata's earshot hoping to appease Neji. She had always been opposed to Hinata running away to hide behind him. She wanted her sister to leave the miserable life she led with the Hyugas with her head held high, not through the back door.

"I hope he's the right one then," he said before going back to the meeting, still not looking very convinced.

"I hope so too," she whispered to herself. She truly did.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's it for now folks! Please stay tuned for the next one. Have an awesome holiday season and a very happy new year!


	9. Day Seven

**Author's Note: **Hello everyone! Here is the next installment of Omiai! I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this fic and reviewing. You guys are awesome! Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, sadly I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I guess I can only claim to own the evil grandma… oh boy! ~_^

* * *

**Day Seven: Down Memory Lane**

Hinata stood in front of the kitchen counter with a determined look on her face. She was done second guessing herself. It was now or never. She grabbed the knife and started slicing the tomato. She then smeared some mayonnaise on the slices of bread, added lettuce, a slice of cheese and a slice of turkey and finally the slices of tomato. She put them in sandwich bags and then into an old lunch box she had come across in one of the less used cabinets in the kitchen. She then washed and packed some grapes, oranges, and a couple of apples. Better to have a wide selection. She also packed napkins, two bottles of juice, and a can of Starbucks coffee, just in case. She had a feeling that fruit juice just wasn't Sasuke's thing. She could have asked him what he would like but she was worried he would make fun of her for preparing a picnic with winter just around the corner.

She had texted Sasuke earlier that morning asking him what time they could meet up. They had agreed to meet up in the afternoon, so she had breakfast, finished her homework, and then sat in her room twiddling her thumbs. She had to admit that the anxiety she felt every time she knew she had to see Sasuke had lessened a lot. She was still nervous, but not terrified as she had been at first. Now she was even looking forward to it.

Since she still had over an hour left before she had to meet Sasuke she had gone to the kitchen for a snack when suddenly the idea to prepare a lunch for them hit her. It took a half hour of back and forth deciding whether she should do it or if it was too cheesy. Hanabi had just been making fun of her the day before for her unusual dates. Well she couldn't possibly get any more cliché than a picnic in the park. At least she didn't have a basket or a blanket.

Finally the time to leave came and she had the driver take her to the park. She had agreed to meet Sauske at the entrance and as she didn't see him right away she sat on a bench to wait. The anticipation that had built up inside of her slowly ebbed away as the minutes ticked by and Sasuke was nowhere to be found. She sat there clutching the lunch box to her chest debating whether to call him when her phone chimed in her hand alerting her that she had a text message.

"_Where are you?"_

She frowned and looked around for the fifteenth time just in case she had somehow missed Sasuke hiding among the children running around or the elderly couple sitting two benches over.

"_At the entrance."_

His answer came a few seconds later.

"_Which one?"_

Was there more than one entrance? Hinata's brows knitted together in confusion. She looked up at the sign posted by the gate she was at and her eyes widened in realization. She didn't know there was more than one entrance. Thinking about it, the place probably had four entrances judging by the sign she was looking at that read: "West Gate." They were at Sakura Park, which everyone just called "the Park" but it was more of a forest preserve with walking and bicycle trails, a botanical garden, and a playground. It did make perfect sense that there would be more than one entrance. All the times she had been there that had been the entrance she had used.

"_The west gate. Where r u?"_

She replied and she could see him in her mind rolling his eyes in exasperation at her dumbness. To her defense he hadn't specified which entrance they should meet at either.

"_Stay there."_

She couldn't help the smile that lit up her face, even though she was sure he would be wearing a scowl when she saw him. Picturing him almost made her giggle. Knowing that Sasuke was coming to get her made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Funny how a few days of getting to know someone made such a difference. Only five days ago she would have been terrified at the prospect of an annoyed Sasuke.

She sat back down on the bench and didn't have to wait for long before she saw him walking towards her. She was still feeling fuzzy, but the usual nervousness at seeing him in person made its appearance. She did her best to push it down and smiled.

"H-hello. Sorry!"

He shrugged. "Guess I didn't specify which entrance either."

"Yeah," she smiled sheepishly. "S-should we go?"

"What's that?" he asked looking at the lunch box she was holding with a raised eyebrow.

"Um… I brought some lunch."

"You do know it's almost winter, right?"

Her cheeks tinted. "I-it's just lunch, n-not a picnic. There are indoor tables in the botanical garden," she said in her defense.

He took the lunch box from her hands with a smirk.

"I-it's not heavy," she protested to his back as he walked away from her. She hurried to catch up with him, a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.

They decided to go to the arboretum first. The view there was breathtaking. The leaves had changed colors and the trees that lined their path were all covered in deep shades of red and gold. Since the air was crisp but not overly cold, there were quite a few other people around also observing the trees and plants. They walked around for a while, mostly in silence, looking at the trees and shrubs and at the educational plaques at their feet. Occasionally Hinata would comment on a certain tree and Sasuke would merely nod or grunt in acknowledgement.

They walked through the arboretum and then followed one of the trails that crisscrossed the park in order to get to the botanical garden at the other end. They were walking on one of the trails when suddenly a very irritating voice reached Sasuke's ears. Even though he had only heard it once before it had been stored in his memory.

"What's up, Hinata?"

He turned around in the direction of the voice in time with Hinata and his worst fears came true. It was the dumb blonde riding his bike with a smile and waving like the idiot he was. With a frown he noticed that Hinata was mirroring his smile.

"Hi Naruto-kun," she waved back as he stopped in front of them. "What are you doing?"

"Just going for a ride and you?"

"We are just talking a walk. You remember Sasuke-kun?" she answered moving closely to Sasuke.

"Hey," he said acknowledging Sasuke with a smile that he returned with a nod. "Gotta go. Have fun!" he said as he rode away with his stupid grin.

Hinata waved him away and turned back to Sasuke. He thought he caught a glimpse of disappointment in her face before she smiled at him and said, "um… the garden is just ahead."

They finished crossing the trail they were on and arrived to the imposing glass structure that was the botanical garden, which housed a myriad of flowers and plants. Walking in was like stepping into a different place. They immediately felt the difference in the temperature of the carefully controlled environment for the flowers and the brisk fall afternoon outside.

They made their way into the luscious garden and Hinata was soon lost in the almost magical place. She was admiring all the colorful flowers and couldn't help the smile that adorned her lips. Even Sasuke was enjoying himself. They explored the whole garden until they reached an arch covered in white flowers that served as the threshold to the eating area located apart from the flowers but still offering a great view of the garden.

"It's not much," she said with a sheepish smile as she opened the lunch box and set the food out on one of the small wrought iron tables.

'Hn," Sasuke took one of the sandwiches and they both started eating in silence.

Hinata was starting to feel more comfortable around Sasuke, but she still wished it were easier to come up with things to talk about with him. She always worried she would bore him to death and he had become even quieter after they had run into Naruto. She was wrapped in her ponderings when Sasuke's voice pulled her back to the present.

"S-sorry, what?" she asked embarrassed. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard him.

"I said 'Uzumaki' doesn't ring a bell. How do you know him?"

"Um… well he doesn't come from a prestigious family." She was too busy digging in her memory to catch Sasuke mumbling an "obvious" under his breath. In between bites of her sandwich she started telling him how she met Naruto Uzumaki…

_It was a sunny day and little Hinata's heart was aflutter. She had been practicing for days. She wanted to do a good job and for her parents to be proud of her. Today was the day of the first graders' presentation to show their parents what they had learned during the school year. From her spot behind the stage, she couldn't see the audience very well, but she kept her fingers crossed hoping that her mom and dad would be there to see her._

_After her classmates finished their rendition of _Old MacDonald Had a Farm_, it was her turn to get on stage and read her favorite Corduroy book out loud. Since she was the only child in her class who knew how to read fluently the teacher decided to have her read in front of all the parents. She walked up on stage scanning the crowd for the two faces she wanted to see the most. Finally her eyes stopped on the left side of the room where she saw her father and her little sister Hanabi sitting on his lap. Her spirits that had soared for a moment fell when she noticed the empty seat next to him. Her mom had promised to be there if she felt better. Apparently she hadn't. She quickly shook her head and put a smile on her face. She had promised her mom she would do her best even if she wasn't there in person. _

_She stood in front of the microphone, opened her book, and started reading out loud. Everyone in the audience was marveled at how fluently and clearly she read all the lines. She was, after all, the best reader in her class. In truth her reading level was above many of the older children in the school. She was really enjoying having her audience enraptured with the story she was reading. Corduroy was quite a good story and it had been a while since she had had someone's undivided attention like that. It wasn't so bad to have all eyes on her once in a while. _

"_Red… blue… fuchsia," Hinata recognized the voice instantly. Little Hanabi was doing one of her favorite things: reciting the colors. She was quite accurately naming all the colors of the many posters hung on the walls of the auditorium. Soon little Hanabi had moved on to reciting numbers and letters and everyone's attention focused on the adorable child forgetting the other child that was up on the stage. Even Hinata's teacher had stopped paying attention. She was about to close the book and walk off the stage when she noticed a pair of bright blue eyes earnestly looking at her and urging her to continue. She had no choice but to oblige and finished the story for her only audience._

_Everyone clapped politely at the end, but she didn't even notice. The dazzling smile that accompanied those blue eyes was all the cheering she needed. After the presentation she went to join her father and Hanabi all the while looking for the boy who had been listening to her so attentively. She had wanted to talk to him. He seemed like a nice person. He seemed to be around her age, but she had never seen him before. For sure he didn't go to her school. He had been standing in a corner, almost like he had snuck in. _

_Sadly she left without being able to find him. Once home she excitedly told her mom all about him and she told Hinata that if she wished upon the first star she saw maybe she could see him again. And so that night little Hinata was glued to her window watching the sky from sundown to nightfall to make sure she wouldn't miss it. _

_Her whole summer vacation went by and she had no time to think about the blonde boy with the bright blue eyes and contagious smile. Sadly her mother's condition had taken a turn for the worse. She finally lost her battle and passed away a few weeks before Hinata started the second grade._

_Since her mother had passed away Hinata always felt lonely and invisible. Her mother had always been the one who encouraged her and sincerely praised everything she did. Her father would also praise her, but after losing his beloved wife he had been overcome by grief. He had become withdrawn and left the care of his daughters in the hands of his mother, who wouldn't waste a single opportunity to berate Hinata and tell her how if she didn't work harder she would never become the heir to the Hyuuga clan and how she should be more like Hanabi. _

_By the time school had started again, Hinata was starting to think that the blue-eyed boy had only been a figment of her imagination. Halfway through the year she was almost certain of it. Still she kept an eye out for him, just in case he had been real. Finally one morning after a particularly long lecture from her grandmother, it happened: she saw him. Watching from a distance she saw that he walked into one of the second year classrooms. It seemed that they were in the same grade just in different classes! She wanted to say hello, but she was too shy. What if he didn't like her? He probably didn't even remember her._

_Every day she would wake up promising to herself that she would say hi to him during recess but as the day wore on, her determination would dwindle and she would end up just watching him from afar. He was always surrounded by others while Hinata always kept to herself. Her shyness had just increased after her mother passed away. _

_Soon she learned that the boy's name was Naruto Uzumaki, that he was an orphan, and that one of the professors, Iruka-sensei, had been able to get him accepted in the school. The school they went to was one of the most prestigious schools where only the children of the rich could attend. It had been quite a feat for Iruka-sensei to get Naruto accepted. His argument that it would show just how generous the school was to give the opportunity of a stellar education to an underprivileged child was what finally sold the board of directors on it. _

_Life wasn't easy for Naruto. On top of being an orphan he was bullied by some of the other children, who thought he didn't belong there. Nothing seemed to get to Naruto though. Every time he would get knocked down he would get up and walk with his head held high; that smile that could brighten Hinata's entire day never faltering. Hinata admired him and wished she could be just like him and be able to brush off all of her family's nasty comments. Naruto wasn't the smartest, but he worked hard and wouldn't give up. He had such a bright personality that everyone ended up either accepting him or just giving up since it seemed that nothing could get him down. _

_She continued to quietly watch him throughout second grade and most of third grade until one day, the last thing she ever thought would happen actually happened. The fire department had come to visit the school to talk about fire safety. Therefore, the three third grade classes that were normally kept separate had been gathered in the school gym. That day the stars had lined up right and Hinata ended up getting paired up with none other than Naruto for the fire drill portion of the day. They had to exit the building quickly in pairs holding hands while the fire alarms blared on. She could have sworn that her heart almost stopped the moment she felt his warm hand wrap around her limp one._

_Her cheeks immediately flared and she kept her head down trying to hide her embarrassment. Naruto thought she was just nervous, so he squeezed her hand tighter while he kept reassuring her with his bright smile that it was just a drill and that everything would be ok. She just nodded and kept her eyes averted until they were outside and he let go of her hand. She finally lifted her gaze thinking that he had left to join his friends and to her utter surprise her eyes met his bright blue ones and she felt like her heart would stop for real this time._

"_You…" he was looking intently at her._

_Oh no! Had he finally realized that she was always hiding somewhere watching him from afar? Was he going to confront her and tell her to stop stalking him? She just stared back at him with the look of a deer caught in the headlights. He seemed to not notice the terror in her eyes or chose not to care as he continued, "I know you. You read that story. I remember cuz it was one of my favorite stories and you actually knew how to read."_

_This time Hinata's heart did stop for a second. He remembered her! She couldn't believe it! She merely nodded. _

"_How come I hadn't seen you around before?"_

_She simply shrugged as she was still speechless. She couldn't tell him that she was painfully shy and that she did everything possible to make herself invisible to others. If people didn't notice her, they wouldn't judge her. She had enough of that at home. Plus that way she could watch Naruto without being disturbed._

"_I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he said grinning._

_It took her a minute for her to realize that he was introducing himself and was expecting her to do the same. He had no idea that she knew all about him already. She could make a great detective if she said so herself. _

"_Um… H-Hyuga," she squeaked when she finally found her voice and then cleared her throat and tried again, "H-Hinata Hyuga, n-nice to meet you."_

"_Nice to meet you too!" he replied with a grin before running over to his friends that were calling him over. "See ya!"_

_She weakly waved back sure that that would be the last time he would talk to her. Boy was she wrong. After that, he would say hi to her every time they crossed paths and before she knew it she was sharing a table during lunch with him and his friends Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Ino. In no time at all she was on first name basis with all of them and Ino, being the only girl in the group aside from Hinata quickly took her under her wing because "girls needed to stick together." _

_Fortunately her group of friends stayed together all the way through high school, making her life a lot more bearable and happy. Only with them she shared her love for writing and she could always count on their encouragement. During college the group had decided to go to different schools, but they still kept in touch. Choji had gone on to culinary school and was on his way to becoming a renowned chef. Kiba was in his last year of medical school to become a veterinarian and often worked on rescue missions for animals. Shino had somewhat followed a similar path becoming an entomologist, true to his love for all insects. Shikamaru was an engineer, and Ino had decided to follow her passion and become a teacher. Hinata was the only one who had not been allowed to pursue her dream and had gone to law school. It hadn't been so bad because thanks to Iruka-sensei and financial aid Naruto had managed to get in the same school. He had bowed he would become president of the country and fortunately the school Hinata had to go to had an excellent political sciences program._

Hinata ended her brief account with a smile as she finished her sandwich and started on the grapes. They continued eating in silence until Sasuke decided to voice what had been nagging at him since the first time he saw the blonde.

"Did you and Uzumaki go out?"

The question caught Hinata by surprise and she almost choked on the grape she had been eating. "Um, yeah for a little while but we broke up. H-he's engaged now."

She thought she did a good job keeping any bitterness off her voice and finished off with a smile before changing the subject, "s-so how did it go with the investors yesterday?"

"Ok," he replied finishing off his coffee.

They then cleaned up and looked around a little more. Somewhere along the way they found themselves holding hands; neither one could tell who started it nor did anything to let go of the other's hand. They followed one of the tree-lined paths and ended up at a small pond, their fingers still loosely intertwined. They sat down on a bench and looked at the sunset reflected on the surface of the pond. There were very few people around. It was getting late and the cool autumn air was getting chillier. Instinctively they moved closer together. Hinata was contentedly looking at the orange reflecting off the water when Sasuke called her name with that smirk Hinata was becoming very familiar with.

"Y-yes?"

"What are we trying for today?"

Her gaze immediately went to their intertwined hands and he shook his head. "That was yesterday's thing."

"Um… w-well," she couldn't think of anything with his face getting so close.

"My turn then?" he asked in a low voice with that darn smirk still plastered to his face. She merely nodded frozen in place by his gaze. "How about kissing?" She was about to point out that in fact she had already kissed him in the cheek just the other day when he seemed to read her thoughts and pointed to his lips.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she realized it wasn't fear, but anticipation. Before she changed her mind she closed her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. When she opened her eyes expectantly she saw that he looked far from impressed.

"You call that a kiss?" was all he said before closing the distance between them once more and bringing his lips to hers. Hinata's heart was threatening to climb out of her throat and sparks chased down her spine. For a delightful moment she felt each of her breaths being grasped by Sasuke's. When he opened his eyes he was more than pleased to see Hinata's cheeks crimson and her lips slightly swollen.

"We should go."

Hinata nodded and followed him to his car feeling as if she was walking on a cloud. It surely had something to do with all the beautiful flowers and plants and not the kiss she had just shared with Sasuke, right?

The ride home was mostly in silence as usual but with none of the awkwardness. When Sasuke stopped at Hinata's door she thanked him and wished him a good day at work the next day. He wished her a good night and once she went in smiling from ear to ear she realized they hadn't made any plans for the next day. Oh well, she would text him tomorrow. With a smile she realized she didn't feel nervous at all about texting or calling him anymore. As she got ready for bed she kept touching her fingers to her lips, still a little incredulous at what had happened earlier that day but happy nonetheless. She caught herself giggling a few times before she finally went to sleep, completely oblivious of the fact that miles away Sasuke was in a similar state, minus the giggling, of course.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's it for now folks! Please stay tuned for the next one.


End file.
